DaveKat oneshots - Homestuck
by DerpingToaster
Summary: Just some Dave x Karkat Oneshots. All characters (and Homestuck) belong to Andrew Hussie, I don't own any of them. Some of the oneshots take place in an AU (12th Perigee's Eve, "D-Stri", It must be fate, and Alternian Voyager). The following take place post-retcon in the canon universe (may or may not have a few subtle alterations or fanon details depending on fic): Flood, Ou
1. Flood

Dave and Karkat had been together for some time now. They got along well despite their differences, but did have occasional arguments over silly things. For example, how Karkat's horns poked Dave when he rested on him, or how Karkat stayed up at night reading his shitty romantic books and kept the light on. Usually though, they were just fine together.

Dave was feeling particularly grumpy, since Karkat had kept him up with some cheesy troll romance flick. That was the one problem about having a nocturnal alien boyfriend. The white-haired god sat up and rubbed his tired red eyes. Next to him was his smaller alien boyfriend, sleeping. He was snoring, and his mouth was open. There was a wet spot on the pillow from his drool. It was oddly cute. The way his soft, messy black hair fell around his face and his tiny, rounded orange and yellow horns contrasted with his black hair was magical. Dave felt his heart flutter in his chest, and a soft blush spread across his pale face.

It was funny the way Karkat was sprawled out across the bed. The too-big shirt he was wearing had slid up a bit and was showing his stomach, and one of his legs was sticking out from under the blanket. Black shorts with red crabs on them covered his thighs.

Cute.

Dave slid off the bed, stretching and yawning. His red cape trailed on the ground behind him, and he lifted it up and tucked it under his arm. Pale fingers grabbed the black shades from the desk, and red eyes were concealed by black once more.

The Knight of Time crept out to the kitchen, careful not to be too loud as to wake Karkat. Then again, he was a pretty heavy sleeper.

Even though he was grumpy, he couldn't stay angry at Karkat forever. It wasn't his fault he was nocturnal.

Besides, the movie was pretty cute.

Dave sometimes made breakfast. Although he didn't like to admit his it, it was kind of fun. Kanaya usually brought food that she and Rose made over, but today wasn't one of those days.

The white-haired boy dropped his cape and opened the refrigerator. That was another argument he and Karkat sometimes had; over what to call things, since trolls and humans had different names for the same thing. Naturally, their cultures clashed sometimes.

Dave decided to make eggs. It was easy enough, and Karkat liked them. It was weird at first, trying to get Karkat to eat them. After about an hour or so of cursing and trying to coax the alien to eat the god damn eggs, he did. And he liked them.

After cracking some eggs in the pan, he turned on the heat. If something bad happened, he could always turn back time and redo it. The Knight glanced towards the kitchen doorway as he saw movement. He naturally felt defensive, and squeezed the spatula tight in his hand. Who would it be besides Karkat? The blonde sighed and put the spatula down, noticing his matesprit standing in the doorway.

"Oh. Hey Karkat. Uh...good morning. You're up!" He smiled slightly. The gray-skinned alien looked angry, and his messy black hair stuck out all over. His cheeks were puffed, and his golden eyes looked tired. Karkat huffed and wiped the spit from his mouth. "What's up? You seem saltier than usual," the albino remarked, returning his attention to the eggs. "I had a shitty dream," Karkat muttered, sitting down at the table. "Oh. What was it? If you want to tell, I guess," he shrugged.

"You broke up with me for Terezi," the alien admitted. "Oh. Well, I'd never do that. I love you, Karkat. And I'm over Terezi," he told his boyfriend. "I know, but still. It felt so fucking realistic," Karkat sighed. Dave put the spatula down and went over to the table and hugged Karkat; kissing his forehead. "Dave, come on," the mutant-blood blushed, trying to gently push Dave off.

As soon as the eggs were done, Dave pulled out a chair and sat down, putting the pan on the table. He let Karkat take however much he wanted, and then took what was left over. The two ate their eggs in silence. Karkat seemed pretty upset about the dream. After the two of them were done, Dave offered to watch a movie with him. "Maybe it'll make you feel better. We can cuddle if you want," Dave told him. "No, Dave. I'm not feeling up to it today," he sighed, heading back to the bedroom.

What was with him? Usually he wasn't like this.

Dave decided to go get some flowers for Karkat. Maybe that would make him feel better. The albino pushed his shades up and opened the door, closing it behind him as he stepped outside. He made his was to Kanaya and Rose's place. They always had flowers. A knock resounded against the door, and Kanaya opened it. She was wearing some kind of sleeping clothes, which looked fashionable as always. "Hello Dave. Can I help you?" She asked. "Do you have any flowers? Karkat's feelin kinda down in the dumps and I want to try to make him happy." Hopefully that didn't sound too desperate.

"Yes. Wait here for a moment," she told him, closing the door and going back inside. The alien woman eventually returned with a bouquet of flowers and gave them to dave. "Tell Karkat I sincerely hope he feels better soon. It's a real shame that he's feeling under the weather," she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Kan. I'll tell him!" A nod from Dave. He returned to the house, opening the door and holding the flowers close. "Man, he's gonna be so excited!" Dave smiled to himself. He went into the bedroom to see Karkat lying on his bed with his back facing Dave.

"Karkat?"

"Go away Dave!"

"Kar—"

The alien sat up and glared at Dave. His eyes widened when he saw the flowers. Karkat's cheeks were stained with the pale red of his tears.

Why was he crying?

Dave sat down on the bed, setting the flowers down on Karkat's lap. "Hey, why are you crying?" He asked, his voice unusually soft. "I'm fine!" The smaller one hissed, covering his face with his arms. One of his small, gray hands grasped the flower bouquet.

"Fine! Don't tell me then!" Dave snapped.

He got up off the bed and stormed out of the room.

Shit.

He didn't mean to lose his temper like that. Now he felt like an asshole. The albino sighed and put his head down on the kitchen table.

He decided it would be best to go back and try to talk things out. Karkat would probably still be angry at him, though.

"Kar?"

No answer.

Dave knocked on the door softly.

"Kar? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my temper, man. I just—"

The Knight's voice was cut off by Karkat opening the door. He looked disheveled and he'd obviously been crying. The flowers were sitting on the bed, and Karkat's floofy black hair was a mess.

"It's okay." The smaller Knight's voice sounded hoarse.

"I'm sorry, Dave," he breathed, hugging Dave and burying his face in his soft, comfy red shirt thingy. "Hey, it's okay. I'm sorry for gettin all snappy..." the albino sighed, softly stroking Karkat's hair. "It's fine," Karkat sniffled. "Do you wanna talk about what's wrong? Or not," the Knight of Time asked softly, holding Karkat close. "Yeah. Can we sit down or some bullshit?" The smaller one asked. A silent nod from Dave, and the two sat down on the bed they shared.

"There's something I have to tell you," Karkat started. "You're gay?" Dave teased. Karkat glared at him, obviously not in the mood for jokes today. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"To be really fucking honest, ever since I was a grub I've felt...different. And not just because of my blood. I've always felt isolated. I don't know. Maybe it is because of my bulgefuck stank-ass mutant blood," he sighed. Dave simply nodded and rubbed Karkat's back.

"I feel moody and irritable a lot. I almost always feel down in the dumps, and I hate it. What's wrong with me, Dave?"

"Nothing."

"I think about hurting myself."

The silence shattered as Karkat said that, and his voice echoed off the walls.

"Oh my god, Karkat, why didn't you say anything?" Dave's red eyes widened beneath his shades.

"Sorry. I thought you'd laugh at me," he said softly.

"No way. I would never laugh at you, Karkat. To be honest, I know exactly how you feel. When I was a boy, I was diagnosed with depression. I just used my 'cool guy' demeanor to cover up the fact that I felt horrible and that I wanted to die."

Karkat looked at him.

"Let me show you something."

Dave lifted his shirt and showed his matesprit the scars on his stomach from the times he'd taken a blade to it. "Can't believe I still have these," he laughed nervously. The cool guy wiped his tears a bit.

Karkat was crying now too.

What a bunch of fucking sappy nerds.

"Hey, don't cry," Dave sniffled, holding Karkat close and wiping his tears. The alien reached his small gray hand up and wiped his boyfriend's tears.

Before he understood what was happening, Dave was kissing him. It was just his instinct to kiss back, so he did. Gently. The albino pulled away reluctantly, blushing softly. Karkat had a blush of the same color on his cheeks. Dave crawled under the blankets, patting the empty spot next to him. The Knight of Blood moved the flowers to the desk and crawled under the warm, soft blankets to be with his Dave.

He could feel Dave's body pressing against his, and his arms around him. Their legs were intertwined, and one of Dave's hands was gently stroking Karkat's hair, smoothing it out.

Who knew they'd end up confessing so much to each other just because of one stupid argument?

Karkat smiled softly as his gold eyes fluttered closed, and he felt Dave kiss the back of his neck.

Terezi wasn't in this dream. It was just him and his Knight.

Just how it should be.


	2. 12th Perigee's Eve

"Dave."

"DAVE."

"DAVE!"

Karkat's voice shattered the fragile silence that hung over the room like a thin blanket.

"Get up!"

The troll pulled the blankets off his matesprit, and Dave groaned, curling up into the fetal position. "Just five more minutes, man," he mumbled, pulling his cape over himself.

"No! No five more minutes, 'man'! Get your ass up! It's 12th Perigee's Eve, Dave! YOU were the one who made plans to go see your weird human family! Get up!" He grabbed Dave's cape, pulling him off the bed halfway.

"I'm up, I'm up," the albino protested, sitting up and rubbing his tired red eyes. "Good. I'll make you some coffee," Karkat nodded, leaving the room.

Dave sighed, running his fingers through his white hair and putting on his shades. He got off the bed, yawning and walking into the kitchen.

"Man, what time is it?" Dave grunted, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table.

"6:30." Karkat responded.

"No wonder I'm so tired!" He muttered, blinking slowly. Warm coffee with a little cream and sugar in it was placed in front of him by a gray hand.

"Drink. I made it just how you like it," Karkat told him. Dave nodded and took a sip, some of it rolling down his chin. He was so fucking tired. "Gross. I can't believe I fell in love with you, you nasty piece of shit," Karkat muttered, getting up from the chair and making some toast. "That's not what you said last night," Dave laughed, wiping his mouth. "Alright, Dave McSmartass Strider." He retorted, his gray face dusted a pale candy red.

When the toast was ready, Karkat put the plate at the table. He sat down with his own toast, which had a disgusting combination of mustard, mayonnaise, and honey. Karkat said it was 'absolutely fucking delicious' and 'a meal fit for a fucking god.'

Except it tasted like shit.

Things like that were just one of the things Dave loved about Karkat. He had these adorable quirks that made him fall more and more in love with him every day.

"Are you gonna eat? I made some for tasteless bulgelickers who hate my fucking delicious sauce," Karkat glanced up from his toast, which had peanut butter and onions on the top. Gross.

"Nah. I don't wanna puke on the plane. That would be really fuckin' gross," the Knight of Time shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Just don't complain about being hungry."

"Okay, mom."

Karkat glared at him. He simply shook his head, sighing.

Dave waited for Karkat to be done, then went into the bedroom to change. "You think my family will think it's weird if I wear this?" Dave asked. "Oh, I don't know. I'd be pretty weirded out if I was a human guardian and I saw my human...relative wearing a fucking cape and red god pajamas. Why don't you just tell them you have fucking time powers and a sword and shit?" Karkat muttered.

"Fine. I'll put on something nice. I'm packing this though."

"What if your strange human lus—family asks if you're into cosplay? Are you gonna say yes? Are you seriously gonna let them think you're that much of a virgin?"

"I'm not a virgin, Karkat. You of all people should know that," Dave teased, digging through his closet.

"Obviously. Do they know you're...whatever sexuality you are?" Karkat asked.

"You mean Bi? No...I haven't told them yet. I know for trolls that's not a problem, but for humans that's kind of taboo. So no, I didn't tell them I have an alien boyfriend, or that I'm a god, or anything," he sighed, removing a black suit with his old record symbol on the right pocket. Nice.

"You're fucked."

"I know. Especially since all my family members are conservative Texans, I'm a little concerned on what they'll say. They insisted I come and see them, though. And I'm not leaving you here," Dave told him, stripping out of his god tier outfit. Karkat stared at him, his gold eyes scanning his human lover's form. God. His body was so cute.

"What do you think?" Dave asked, fixing his red tie, pushing his shades up a bit. "You look hot," Karkat laughed. "Okay. Put on something that looks nice. And please, for the love of god, don't wear your fucking pants around your stomach. It's so ugly. I love you, but please," the albino begged. Karkat rolled his eyes, getting up and looking through his half of the closet. There was actually a nice black suit with his sign on it in the same place as Dave's that he had. Karkat stripped down, and put on his pants hesitantly.

"Babe, here. Let me help," Dave sighed, pulling Karkat's pants down around his waist. "NO!" the troll shouted. "That feels weird! What if my pants fall down?!" He hissed, pulling them back up. "They won't. Look how I'm wearing mine," Dave told him, showing the alien how it was done.

"That's weird!" He muttered. "Just try it. Wearing your pants all high like that's gonna hurt your noo—" "Okay! Okay." Karkat cut him off.

He pulled down his pants, letting them rest on his waist. When he put his shirt and overcoat on, he realized that the pants weren't so bad. They still felt really low, though. "I feel dirty, Dave. Only you should be seeing me with my pants so low," he muttered. "C'mon Kar. It's normal, and perfectly acceptable in human society."

"I'm not a human, Dave. I'm a fucking troll. I always will be. I fucking get it, I have to try and learn to live like goddamn human." He muttered. "May as well paint my fucking skin white, dye my shitty ass black hair, and file down my horns if you want me to assimilate into your shit culture so much!" He snapped.

"Kar, no. That's not what I want at all." Dave lightly rested his hand on Karkat's shoulder.

"Yeah it is. Everyone already thinks I'm fucking weird. Even on Alternia I was a worthless mutant tool!" He grumbled. "You can be you and still dress like a human. I want you to be a troll. I didn't fall in love with a human. I fell in love with a troll, and I get it. You can have your culture, 100%. Looking nice is a universal constant, though. It's just for a little while, ok?" The albino reassured him. Karkat sighed and nodded, relaxing a bit.

"Our flight leaves in five hours. Thankfully, yours truly can just time travel us right there in a fuckin flash. Real fuckin fast, sick like my rap beats. That shit's faster than NASCAR, faster than the speed of light traveling from the—" "Dave."

"What?"

"You're a fucking nerd."

"Thanks."

There was enough time for both of them to pack. Dave always made time. It was about time for them to get going to the airport. When they got there, much quicker than intended, (thanks Dave!), Karkat immediately got uncomfortable.

"Dave. You know I hate crowds. Everyone is staring. I don't think they've ever seen a troll before," he muttered. A bunch of people were giving them weird stares. "It's okay, let's just get our stuff in order and go. I'll just speed things up," Dave smirked. It seemed like Dave's matesprit had made it his job to give the security people as much shit as possible, which was hilarious, at least to Dave. The security agents looked so weirded out, so Karkat just lied and said that his appearance was just a cosplay. Before they knew it, they were on the plane. Karkat put on his seatbelt, which he still thought was weird. He'd never been on a plane, so he was very nervous and grabbed onto Dave's arm tight.

"I like your cosplays! Gray-skinned guy's looks so realistic!" Someone across the aisle told Dave. "They aren't cos—"

"It's not a 'cosplay', you ignorant fucktard. It's how I look," Karkat hissed. Dave snickered, and the guy who'd complimented both of their 'cosplays' rolled his eyes and ignored them. The plane's engine turned on, and the troll looked terrified, grabbing Dave's arm. The albino patted his small hand, telling him it would be okay. "I'm not scared, dumbass!" Karkat muttered. The way he looked said otherwise, but whatever. As the plane started to move across the runway, Karkat screeched. "Fuck this human mode of transportation!"

A flight attendant came and politely told him to quiet down and not say 'fuck', since there were kids on the plane. "Dave, can't you speed this shit up?" The alien hissed. "No way! I love plane rides!" He laughed. "Fuck you!" Karkat muttered. After about an hour in the air, about twenty bags of peanuts, lots of flight sickness pills, ginger ale, coffee, and Karkat muttering in Alternian under his breath, Dave was still having fun. Karkat, on the other hand, was suffering. More than usual.

Dave was excited when they touched down in Dallas. "Ah, I love the smell of racist conservatives, homophobes, and cowboys," the albino laughed. "Just kidding. I love Texas."

"That's the worst fucking thing I've ever heard. The goddamn worst. I think I got a brain tumor just listening to that." Karkat muttered, glancing out the window at the runway below.

"God bless Texas!" Dave said in a fake southern accent. The alien next to him cringed. "I love guns, tits, and 'MURICA!"

"Dave. You're embarrassing me in front of everyone!" the alien hissed, unbuckling his seat belt. The two exited the plane, and the albino carried his and his matesprit's luggage, holding Karkat's hand on top of his suitcase. Karkat's face was flushed, and he didn't make any eye contact Dave.

They got a lot of stares, and someone called them 'gross fags.' Dave just laughed and nodded, commenting on how true it was. He and Karkat left the airport and took a cab to the Strider household.

"We're here. Don't act gay. You're just a friend from school," the albino told Karkat, removing the luggage from the car. "What's sch—" "You're a friend from school if they ask," Dave reiterated. "Ugh. Fine."

Dave knocked on the door, pushing up his glasses. A woman with the same complexion as Dave, minus the albino part, opened the door. "Davey! Hey! Oh my god, you've gotten so big!" The woman hugged him. She had a really strong Texan accent, and Karkat just looked on awkwardly. "Who's this?" Dave's mother asked, looking at Karkat. "He's a friend from school," the boy lied. His mother squinted at Karkat. "Why's he doing cosplay or whatever y'all like to call it? That weird thing where kids dress up as characters and go meet up with other weird kids in costumes?"

"He...really likes cosplaying. He's heading to a con in a while, so..." Dave laughed nervously.

That sounded believable enough, right?

"Okay! Why don't you and your lil' friend come in! It's hot out there," his mom laughed. Karkat and Dave took their bags and went inside. "Where's bro?" the Knight of Time asked. "Oh. You don't know? He's not coming. He got mad because we said he couldn't bring his boyfriend, and so he decided not to come."

"Why couldn't he bring Jake? He's a really nice guy. He probably would've made Christmas like, ten times more sick," Dave laughed. "Because. That isn't how we raised him. He's perfectly aware that his...'homosexuality' isn't allowed in this household. If he wants to be with his boyfriend, he can do it alone."

Dave nodded, feeling a bit sick. Shit. His parents would totally be mad if he came out. "Haha, yeah."

Dave led his matesprit to his old bedroom, sighing happily with nostalgia. They both put their stuff in the room, but Dave's mom came in and took Karkat's stuff to another room. "There's enough room for your friend! You never told me his name."

"It's...Karkat."

"Karkat?"

"He's...Native American."

"Oh. Nice. Anyways, come out and eat whenever you're ready. There's lots of presents under the tree for you!" His mom told him. Dave disliked being away from his boyfriend, and so he went into Karkat's room, locking the door behind him.

The albino crawled onto the bed, pinning his boyfriend down against it. He stared into Karkat's yellow eyes, and leaned down to kiss him softly. Their lips met, and it felt like heaven. Dave could feel Karkat kissing him back, and both of them were blushing softly, knowing they'd get in trouble if Dave's parents discovered what they were doing. Regardless, Dave continued to kiss the alien, enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend's lips against his own.

The Knight of Time ran his tongue across the bottom of Karkat's lip, and the alien opened his mouth. Dave put his tongue into Karkat's mouth, tasting his teeth and rubbing his tongue against his boyfriend's. The Knight of Blood moaned softly, letting Dave explore every inch of his mouth.

He almost wanted to unlock the door and let Dave's mom see how fucking gay they were. Just rub it right in her ugly fucking face that Dave was dating a boy, and that he liked boys (and girls), and that he and Karkat had hot sex and cute makeouts.

The albino pulled away, looking into Karkat's eyes. A strand of saliva connected their tongues, and the alien was a blushing mess. Dave wiped his mouth, sighing happily. Karkat sat up, and the albino fixed his shades.

Dave got off the bed, and waited for Karkat to get himself together. After he snapped out of his daze, the human unlocked the door and came outside, the Knight of Blood following behind. Right as they exited, Dave's mom was standing outside the door, and she asked what they were doing in there.

Karkat and Dave both glanced at each other, blushing softly.

The Knights had a feeling it was going to be a long day.


	3. D-Stri

Karkat didn't know why Dave dragged him to this shitty party. The music was very loud, and it hurt Karkat's ears as stood at the corner of the room, against the wall. The troll held two red solo cups, one that was his, and one that was Dave's. He looked over at the right corner of the room, where his albino boyfriend was DJing. He had one hand on the turntable, and the other on the bass control. That usual, stupid smile was plastered on his face, and the colored strobe lights in the room reflected off his black shades.

There was a bit of a blush on his face, and he was dancing. The alien assumed he was partially drunk, as he'd been ingesting the strange soporific substance in the cup. Some kind of human drink that smelled bad and tasted worse, although it was okay mixed with other human drinks.

"Yoooo!"

Dave spoke over the microphone, stopping the music. "It's yo boy D-Stri! This next one goes out to my boy Karkat. Love you, lil' man!" The albino waved at Karkat. A bunch of people turned to look at the troll, and he blushed darkly. "Dave!" He hissed.

Dave put a cheesy romantic song on, and crept away from his DJ station. He picked up a bottle of champagne from the table with one hand and came up behind Karkat, sliding his hand down the alien's side, resting on his hip. "Hey Kar," he laughed. The troll's face was bright red, and he poured some of the champagne into one of the cups Karkat was holding. The albino put the bottle down and took the cup from Karkat, sipping the alcoholic beverage from the cup. Dave whispered the lyrics in his matesprit's ear, swaying his hips.

"Dave, you're fucking...whatever you call your weird ass human state of intoxication," Karkat muttered. "I know. It's pretty fuckin' sweet," Dave laughed, drinking the last of the champagne in the cup and pouring a bit more. He put a bit in his boyfriend's cup before Karkat pulled it away, leaving Dave pouring the champagne on the floor. The albino whispered the lyrics into Karkat's ear, laughing and blushing.

"And 'D-Stri?' Are you fucking serious?" He muttered. "What? It's my sick ass DJ name," the Knight of Time laughed. "Alright, time to go," Karkat hissed, taking Dave's hand and leading him outside. He kept drinking the champagne in the cup as Karkat pulled him along. They left the building into the chilly night. The troll shivered a bit in the cold, wrapping his arms around himself to try and keep warm. Dave laughed and took off his suit jacket, putting it over Karkat's shoulders. He blushed softly and hailed a cab.

When it came, the two climbed into the back, and Dave put his arm around Karkat. "I love you, Kar Kar."

That dumb smile made Karkat blush, and he glanced away. "I love you too, Dave." The albino grabbed Karkat's chin and turned the troll to face him. The alien stared into his matesprit's half-lidded eyes through his black shades. The albino's lips met Karkat's black ones, and the atmosphere suddenly changed. The troll tasted the alcohol on Dave's lips and tongue, and hoped that the cab driver wasn't homophobic. He shuddered as Dave forced his tongue into his mouth. Even when he was wasted as fuck, Dave was a great kisser. The alien moaned softly, letting the albino explore his mouth.

When they got to the stop, the Knight of Time thanked the driver and paid him an amount that was probably way too much, but Dave was too wasted to notice anyways. Karkat let his matesprit rest against his shoulder, leading him to their apartment. As soon as they got inside, Dave ran to the bathroom and got sick.

Gross.

He came out without his shades, white hair a mess and red eyes half lidded. His cheeks were red, and he was drooling a bit. "This is why you don't drink that shit!" Karkat muttered, letting his matesprit rest against him. "Let's have sex!" Dave suggested, wiping his mouth. "Okay. After you clean yourself up, you gross piece of shit."

Dave laughed and went into the bathroom, wiping his face off and fixing his hair. He came out of the bathroom in only his pants. The alien sighed and led the Knight of Time to their bedroom.

Karkat stripped down, crawling into the bed next to Dave, who was entirely naked. "I guess I'll top tonight," he mumbled, sitting on the human's thighs. Dave started laughing. He kept laughing every single time his boyfriend tried to do something hot. Karkat's face was red, and Dave kept laughing.

"I'm trying to be hot! Quit laughing, you festering assbucket."

The alien looked at him angrily.

He looked so cute when he blushed. His smile was so adorable, and his laughing was the most adorable thing ever. Karkat got off Dave, who was still laughing like an idiot and put his clothes back on. Maybe they could try again some other time when Dave wasn't totally fucking wasted.

"How about we cuddle and watch a movie instead?" The alien asked. Dave nodded, sitting up whilst still snickering. He put a t shirt and shorts on, following Karkat out to the living room.

He sat down on the couch, and Dave laid his head down on Karkat's lap. The troll gently ran his fingers through the albino's stupid ugly white boy hair, flipping on the TV and finding some shitty romance movie. It was weird seeing only movies of humans kissing and having sex after watching so many of Karkat's silly troll movies on the meteor.

The troll movies were much better.

The Knight of Blood removed the blanket from the top of the couch and put it over Dave. He was very tired, and Karkat playing with his hair like that didn't really help much.

"How are you feeling, 'D-Stri?'" the troll teased. Dave simply nodded, and Karkat sighed. He knew that his matesprit would be hungover tomorrow, and he'd have to go pick up his turntables and such from that silly human place.

Still. Karkat loved every part of him, and would help him nurse his hangover if it meant they got to be together more.

"Goodnight, you human drunk idiot," the alien smiled softly, kissing Dave's head.


	4. Out of the Closet

Karkat and I have been together for about a week now. I'm thinking of taking him on some kind of date later, although I can't say I know for sure what we're gonna do. Not like there's anything new and exciting to do on this boring ass meteor. Still, I can try and at least do something.

This is a new feeling. This...feeling about...

Other guys.

I didn't know I even liked guys before I met Karkat. Sure, after the retcon I started developing a crush on him. And now we're dating. The two of us promised to keep it a secret. Hell, I don't even know how I'd begin to explain this to my friends. Rose would probably understand, being a Lesbian and all that. John, I don't know. I love him, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. He probably wouldn't get it if I dropped subtle hints. I'd probably have to wear a rainbow shirt that says 'I love dick' or something and have Karkat sit on my lap whilst holding a bucket while I explained that I have romantic feelings for someone who's the same sex as me. Jade probably wouldn't care much. I'd assume she'd just want what was best for me, and for me to be happy. Jade and John aren't even here anyways. Not like I could tell them.

Still, I'm going to have to eventually, assuming Karkat and I are still together by the time we meet again, which will hopefully be the case.

I'm lying here on his couch, using my cape as a blanket. We're watching Good Luck Chuck, and every time he looks at me, I feel my heart flutter in my chest, like a butterfly trying to escape from a net. I notice that he's blushing, and I take his smaller hand in mine. Our fingers fit perfectly together, as if whatever higher being that doesn't even exist designed it that way. "Kar...kat."

I'm not sure if nicknames are acceptable yet.

"What?" He questioned, glancing down at me. I was resting my head on his leg. His cheeks were dusted a pale pinkish red, and he squinted at me. "Do you...wanna go on a walk? As in outside?" I asked, glancing up at him through my shades, which made everything look much darker. The troll simply shrugged and nodded, pausing the movie and letting go of my hand. The two of us go outside without really being noticed. Thank god.

Karkat and I sit down at the edge of the meteor and hold hands. Both of us are silent. This is pretty awkward. I look at him, and he looks at me. "Is this supposed to be a human date?" Karkat asked me. "Not really. I mean, I guess. I don't know." This wasn't really a date, per se, since I didn't really have anything cute or romantic planned or whatnot. Maybe I should say something to him. "I...I love you."

Great.

"I love you too, Dave."

"Hey, isn't it funny how Rose hasn't figured out that we're in love yet? You'd think with her impeccable gaydar, she'd have us figured out in a second. Apparently not," I mutter to myself. I don't even know if he's listening. "I've been considering telling her, actually. Just her, and maybe Kanaya. I trust the two of them. I know they'll keep our secret safe. Besides, they understand our whole interspecies romance thing," I laugh a bit awkwardly, and Karkat shoots me a sidelong glance. "Is that ok, or do you not want me to do that?" I ask him. "That's fine, I guess. Just don't tell anyone else. I trust Rose and Kanaya," the troll sighed. The two were our respective 'moirails', Kanaya being Karkat's, and Rose being technically my weird ectobiological relative. However that may work.

Later on, I had an opportunity to speak to Rose. She was reading a book and jotting down some notes or something, sitting next to Kanaya, who was watching her. "Hey Rose, hey Kan. Can I...tell you two something?" I questioned, sitting down on a chair in front of them. "Sure. What do you want to tell us?" Rose asked, glancing up at me from her book. "It's about Karkat and I."

"Oh. Did...something happen between the two of you? Did you get in a fight?" Rose asked. Kanaya looked at me, "Do you need someone toauspisticize between you two?" she asked. I shook my head, adjusting my shades a bit. Shit. I could feel myself blushing. "Nothing bad happened. We just...had a bit of a relationship shift."

"Go on," Rose raised an eyebrow.

"We're...dating," I mumbled under my breath.

"Wait, really?" the Seer asked, her eyes widening a bit. "I didn't know you were interested in guys."

"I bet you didn't see that coming," I joked.

Rose sighed, and Kanaya smiled. "That's excellent. I think it behooves Karkat to be in a red relationship with someone, especially after all his previous failed romantic endeavors. Hopefully everything will carry through between you two," she nodded. "Thanks. Just please don't tell anyone else. We don't want anyone knowing yet. We'll let them figure it out." I nodded, standing up.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. Eventually, we met up with Jade and John again. It was great to see them, and everyone else from the void session. Karkat and I were still in a strong relationship that was mostly red, but both of us had black days on occasion.

Everyone who'd been on the three year meteor trip knew about Karkat and I. We were holding hands when we met John, and I introduced Karkat. John seemed to really like him. "I can't believe it's been three years!" the Heir laughed. "You guys sure seem like really good friends! I'm glad!"

Karkat and I looked at each other. We'd just let John try and put two and two together. I glanced over at Jade, who was waving at us. She came over and sat down next to John. "Hey! How's it been! Three years sure seems like a long time," Jade smiled. "Yeah."

"Are you and Karkat...um..." she paused, a slight blush coming onto her face. She mouthed the words, as if saying it aloud would summon Lord English himself or some nonsense.

'Dating?'

I nodded.

"Oh my god, that's so cute!" Jade squealed, clasping her hands together. "John! Dave and Karkat are dating! Isn't that adorable? I'm so happy for you two!" she laughed. "Wait, what? Oh, hee hee. Silly me! I assumed you two were just very good friends!" John smiled awkwardly. "How come no one told me?" He asked, looking at me.

I glanced over at my matesprit, and the two of us sighed.


	5. Never Enough Time

There's always one problem that's a universal constant.

Throughout all of time and space, thousands of years of civilizations rising and falling, and the creation and destruction of billions of planets, stars, and galaxies, one thing remains.

The issue of never having enough time. Time is the most valuable commodity in the universe. You'd think someone with the power to control it would always have enough. Someone who was an immortal God of Time would never have to count down, would never need to worry about time catching up, nothing. He would exist for an infinity, having nothing posing any threat to his life, now that a new universe had been made. Now that he was infinite.

However, it turns out that that assumption is incorrect. It's not himself he is worried about.

It is another. The light of his life.

It's common knowledge amongst trollkind that troll lifespans depend on the color of their blood. Lower-blooded trolls live shorter lives, such Burgundy bloods, which live a dozen sweeps or so, more if lucky. Higher-blooded trolls, such as Fuchsia bloods, can live for hundreds of sweeps.

In his case, this troll is a special one. The light of his life is a troll who does not have a place on the hemospectrum. That is to say, he's a mutant. A troll with bright red blood. This makes him a special case. His lifespan is about the same as a burgundy blood, living maybe a dozen sweeps.

It's been thirty years since Dave Strider entered the new universe with his matesprit, this red-blooded mutant. Time was never an issue or a concern before this.

However, now things are starting to become a concern. Trolls don't age like humans, they just get taller and grow longer horns. Regardless, a troll can sense when their life is nearing an end. It's extremely abnormal for a troll to live its life to the fullest, since Alternian society was extremely violent, and many trolls died young. In this new universe, however, there was not a single threat. Nothing that could cause the troll to possibly die before his time, save for a very rare freak accident, which has such a low likelihood of happening that it's basically not a possibility anymore.

Even then, when trolls died, they would come back as ghosts, living in dream bubbles that could be visited. Still, once they are dead, there's no coming back.

The two of them have been in a happy matespritship for a long time. But that's about to change.

"Dave."

Karkat's voice awoke the pale blonde from his slumber.

"Hm, what is it, Karks?" Dave asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "I have to tell you something."

"Well, go ahead. I'm all ears!"

"I..." He paused, sighing. "Don't freak out when I say this, okay? Got it?" He narrowed his eyes. "Got it." Dave nodded. "I've lived a long life. Mutants like me usually don't live long, but I've been around a long time." "What're you getting at?" Dave questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not immortal. You are. I'm going to die at some point. It's been twelve sweeps. Time...time doesn't wait for me like it does for you and Rose and Jade and everyone else who's god tier," the mutant blood explained.

"So...what you're saying is that you're going to die eventually?" the Knight of Time squinted. "Aren't you smart. Someone give Mr. Strider a medal!" the troll grumbled. "I'm going to die soon, you dense fucknut."

"Wh...Karks, why didn't you just come out and say that?" Dave's red eyes began to fill with tears. "I didn't want to make you sad."

"Do you want to die?"

"Why would I want to die?" Karkat grumbled.

"I don't know. Some people are satisfied living out their lives and then passing on," the blonde looked down, trying to hold back the tears that were stinging his eyes. "No. I don't want to die, Dave. I don't want to leave you." Karkat's voice sounded unusually soft. "You told me we would always be together. I don't want to die ever. Please."

Oh god.

Tears rolled down the human's face, but he quickly wiped them away with his sleeves. He looked at Karkat, who was crying too. "Karks, don't cry. I...I'll find a way to keep you alive. Just give me some time."

Time.

The most horribly sickening ironic thing that someone who was usually all over irony desired. "I promise. I'll be with you forever. I'm not going to let you die."

And so, Dave got right to it, trying to think of ways to keep Karkat alive. His attitude changed drastically over the next few days, and he became irritable, obsessed with experimenting with his aspect. He even snapped at his beloved matesprit sometimes, which only made things worse, and hurt Karkat's feelings. He consulted with Jane, who he figured probably knew at least some way to help him keep the troll alive. She was a Life player after all. However, Jane could only bring back someone one time after they died. Maybe she could give him at least a part of his life back. Right? Couldn't that work?

It was a choice now. Either slow down time, or allow him to die and then bring him back. Both would allow him to live another lifespan. After that, though, Jane couldn't bring him back again. If he died, that would be it. Dave could go back in time and bring him back, or he could somehow try and slow down time for Karkat. There had to be some way.

Maybe it was best to let him die, then have Jane bring him back. Dave could slow down time. He could rewind, maybe, but that would rewind everything, and he could live another lifetime with Karkat, just...spend more time with him. He never thought time of all things would be a problem. He always thought there would be enough of it.

Jane knew how much Karkat meant to Dave. Without him, immortality was painful, dark, and cold. It was nothing but a lonely infinity without his love. It was worthless, and he'd seek out any possible means to a just or heroic death, even if he had to wait till the end of time itself. Anything to be with his Karkat for as long as he lived.

Karkat reluctantly agreed to die and let Jane bring him back.

The time up to the moment of Karkat's death were unbearably long, as if one moment was stretched into an icy sharp eternity with no foreseeable end. Dave and Karkat weren't themselves. Neither of them talked much, and they didn't kiss or make jokes or have sex anymore like they once did. It was a slow countdown, and Dave became extremely depressed and rarely left the room he shared with Karkat. The movies the two always watched had started to collect dust from not being watched.

Those scars from ages ago became familiar again. Regardless, razor blades weren't as cold and unforgiving as time. Even then, after some time, even the same candy red that gave him life became sickening, reminding him of how powerless he was over his own aspect. There was no more comfort in the metal; not like there ever was in the first place.

When the endless river of time finally claimed the troll's life, Dave was almost relieved. Sure, he cried so much that he thought he was going to pass out, but the anxiety that gave him heart palpitations and kept him awake at night had been vanquished.

Jane brought Karkat back, hating to see Dave in such a dejected state. The Knight of Time was sleeping when Jane brought him back, and she left him to rest with Karkat, who was now alive again, but very groggy.

"Dave."

"DAVE."

"Dave, you shithead. Wake up. It's Karkat."

The albino opened his eyes, seeing his matesprit leaning over him. He had to be dreaming. "Karks? Is...this a dream bubble? You don't look dead to me," the albino said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "No. I'm alive again, assfuck. Jane brought me back, remember?"

"Not really. I was asleep."

"Okay wow."

Dave began to cry, smiling softly and sitting up to hug his matesprit. He held Karkat tight, breathing in his warm scent. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and his left hand moved up to the troll's soft black hair. "I forgot how perfect you were. Your hair is so soft, and you smell so good," the human sobbed, burying his face in Karkat's shirt. "I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being an asshole to you before you died. I know, I was a huge jerk. I was only thinking about my feelings, not about how scared you may have been, or what you were feeling. I'm so so so sorry."

"It's ok, Dave."

"Are we still matesprits?"

"Yes, Dave. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know, I feel like I was such a fuckin' jerkass that you'd wanna break up."

"No, Dave. I'd never want to do that."

"I promise that you'll stay with me forever. I...while you were...I figured out a way to keep you with me forever. I'll slow down time for just you, and I can get Jane to extend your life if need be. That way, we can be together forever now, just like you wanted. How does that sound?" Dave laughed, wiping his tears.

"Sounds good. I'm sorry for not asking you about your feelings either, Dave."

"It's ok, Karks."

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	6. Event Horizon

"Yeah, I know there's like 200 alternate versions of me," Dave laughed.

"What if one of them was evil or something?" Karkat glanced over at him.

"Holy shit, that would be fucked up. Imagine if I had to go back in time and fight myself or some shit," the blonde folded his arms behind his head.

"That would be wild," the Knight of Blood said calmly.

"I've had enough fighting evil versions of characters to last my entire fuckin' life."

"Yeah. Me too." The Knight of blood let out a sigh, turning his eyes towards the bright stars spread infinitely above them.

Dave looked over at his matesprit, lying in the grass next to him. He heard a really girly scream, and then a slap. "Whoa, what the hell?"

Karkat was staring at his hand, his eyes wide.

"There was a marchbug on my hand!" He hissed. "A marchbug?" The Knight asked.

"You know! They're the small black bugs that always pick up crumbs that people drop!" "You mean ants?" The albino laughed. "No. I mean marchbugs, you piece of shit," Karkat grumbled. He looked directly at Dave and blushed his cute, soft red.

"What?" Dave asked, smiling obliviously.

"You look hot without your shades. I just...didn't really fucking realize. You wear them so goddamn much," the troll said.

"Well, I need them during the day. You know I have photosensitivity due to my condition. If I didn't wear them, I'd damage my retina. But now that it's dark, I can look at you without that silly gray filter," the Knight of Time gently rubbed his boyfriend's cheek with his thumb. Karkat put his hand over Dave's, blushing darker and averting his eyes.

He lied back down, taking Karkat's hand in his own and staring up at the stars. The grass was kind of prickly, but no matter. The troll next to him made it all worth it. He placed his matesprit's hand on his chest, and the alien could feel Dave's heart fluttering in his chest. He said nothing; a rare smile coming onto his face.

This was literally the best life ever. It was everything Dave could've wished for. No more danger, and he got to spend forever with the love of his life.

Eventually, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling Karkat's small hand still resting on his chest.

The albino awoke, sitting on a sharp rock. Below him was a river of what seemed to be blood, and a pale lavender fog blanketed the entire area.

What the hell?

Some kind of dream bubble, definitely. He removed his shades and rubbed his eyes, putting them back on. When he opened his eyes again, a figure was standing a few feet away from him. "Dave?"

That voice.

"Karkat?"

He glanced up, greeted with a blank white stare. "Whoa."

"Dave?"

"Is...that?"

"Uh...hi Karkat!" Dave stood up awkwardly, brushing off his god tier outfit. The small troll ran to him and hugged him, red tears welling up in his eyes. "I've waited so many fucking sweeps to see you again." The troll was wearing a god tier outfit that matched Dave's, except it was reddish-brown. He held Dave tightly, and the albino looked down at him, awkwardly petting his head.

Karkat took his hand, looking into his eyes. "Which Dave are you?"

"Uh...alpha Dave? The very first Dave. Not an offshoot Dave."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Sorry. I just thought you may have been my Dave," he sighed. "Regardless, it's good to see you again," Karkat's hand traveled to Dave's face, and the Knight of Time blushed softly. The troll's face was only inches away from him, and before he realized it, Karkat was kissing him. He tasted good, just like always. Pale red tears rolled down Alt Karkat's face, and the taller one found his hand traveling to Karkat's cape, gently fingering the soft brown fabric.

The Knight of Blood pulled away, blushing darkly. "Sorry. I haven't tasted you in so long."

"It's okay. You and I are together in my timeline."

"Really? We both lived?" Karkat asked.

"Yeah. We made it to the new universe too, thanks to John. Lord English, and all the Jacks are gone," Dave nodded.

"All the Jacks?" He questioned. "Oh. Yeah. Our session had 3."

"Oh. Do...you have memories of the other Daves?" Karkat asked, leaning against his taller Knight. Dave shook his head. "Please, will you stay with me? Just for a little while. I miss you so much," the smaller one begged. "Yeah. What...happened to your me?"

"You were killed by Jack. It was a heroic death. You died fighting him. He fucking killed everyone else, except Me, Kanaya, and the other Alpha kids. We defeated him. But the cost was so goddamn great, I don't even think it was fucking worth it," the troll explained, glancing up at Dave with his empty white eyes.

"But our timeline turned out to be a doomed one, and we all ended up dying later anyways."

The troll was sniveling now, grasping Dave's red cape and holding it close. He breathed in the scent, wiping his tears with it. "I was the one who doomed the session. It was an accident."

"Hey, it's okay. You didn't mean to. I'm sorry for dying on you," Dave laughed. Karkat scooted closer to him, wrapping himself in Dave's cape. He put his arm around the taller male's neck, leaning against him. He wiped his tears, sniffling a bit. He'd begun to calm down upon feeling Dave's familiar warmth and smelling his familiar scent.

Karkat blinked, awakening in a familiar room. The meteor. He was alone on his couch, and he sat up. "What the fuck?" The troll muttered. He was definitely dreaming, and he his as someone opened the door.

Dave?

He looked abnormally sad.

"Dave...?"

The troll sat up, looking at him. The albino's face brightened up almost instantly. "Karkat!"

He ran over to him and hugged him, running his fingers through the troll's black hair. He gently rubbed one of Karkat's horns, and the troll purred softly. "I missed you so much, oh my god," Dave breathed, hugging Karkat.

"Dave. What weird ass offshoot timeline is this?" The alien questioned. "Oh. Um...I don't know? You died fighting Jack. It's okay though, this timeline was doomed anyways. We had to fight the Condesce, but for some reason she had weird English powers, and none of us stood a chance. It's okay though.

I'm just glad to see you again."

"Uh...I'm glad to see you again too," Karkat said awkwardly. The Knight of Time leaned forward and kissed the troll, glancing down at him. "Oh. You didn't ascend?" He asked, looking at Karkat's gray shirt that had his sign printed on it. "No."

"What timeline are you from?" Alt Dave asked, leaning back against the couch arm. "The main one, I guess. Post-retcon Alpha."

"Whoa? Really? So...you're the real deal then?" The albino asked. Karkat simply shrugged. "I guess."

"Are we...together still? In your timeline, I mean?" Dave asked. "Yeah. We're matesprits in my timeline," the troll told him. "Ah. Good. I'm glad to know I still have some semblance of taste in the main timeline," Dave laughed.

Karkat smiled ever so slightly. Good to see that he still had his sense of humor. The same, stupid sense of humor that drove him crazy and made him laugh at 12 AM when he cracked a joke so unbearably cheesy and dumb that anyone else would've dumped his ass. "God."

"What?"

"Your sense of humor still sucks fucking ass," the troll teased.

"Oh yeah, like yours is any better. Your jokes don't even make sense!" Dave laughed.

Alt Karkat was wrapped in Dave's cape, leaning against him. Dave knew he was sleeping, and he looked down at the little troll. The blonde knew he didn't have much time until he woke up.

Oh well.

"Sorry. I love you. Maybe I'll see you again," Dave whispered, kissing his head. This wasn't a goodbye. This wasn't his Karkat.

And yet, his heart still ached, as if he was leaving a person he'd known for so long that he'd become a part of him.

"Don't be stupid, Dave. This isn't your Karkat," he muttered to himself as the dream bubble faded from his vision, and everything was replaced with black. He was conscious now, and could feel the wet grass touching him. Eugh.

He knew if he opened his eyes, the sun would make him cry. The blonde realized his Karkat still had his hand on his chest, his fingers splayed across the red Time aspect symbol. He used his free hand and felt around for his shades, which were disappointingly wet with dew. Regardless, he put them on and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He moved Karkat's hand to his thigh, and opened his eyes.

Karkat looked so cute, sleeping there peacefully.

The blonde Knight kissed him gently and picked him up, remembering how much smaller Karkat was than him. God.

He carried him inside, shutting the door behind them. The troll's golden eyes opened, and the first thing he saw was his Dave.

The ache was gone. This was his Karkat. That person he'd known for so many years that his very soul had became bonded with his matesprit's. This was that person he was leaving behind in that dream bubble, just wearing different clothes; with a different brain between his ears.

He was never going to leave his beloved Karkat again.

Never.

The troll sat up and hugged Dave, breathing in his scent. The Knight of Time did the same, smiling softly.

"I'll never leave you again."


	7. It must be fate

The blonde sighed, heading down the narrow back road, the moon's pale silver glow turning everything white. He spoke quietly to himself, which was normal for him. "Hopefully this car will hold out," Dave muttered. It was a shitty, secondhand hand-me-down from a friend. Regardless, he was grateful. Bro would never get him a car. Why? Because bro is an asshole and a piece of shit, that's why.

The radio was barely coming in, and was just mostly static at this point. Eugh. This place is awful. So creepy and dark, and another car passed by only every fifteen minutes or so. As soon as the engine started sputtering and making a strange noise, Dave started getting concerned. Shit.

The blonde pulled over as his car slowed down. "Oh fuck."

He felt his hands break out in a bit of a cold sweat, and he turned his car off. "Maybe try turning it off and on again," the albino spoke quietly to himself, turning the key in the ignition. Nothing. Didn't even show a possibility of turning over. Shit.

"What should I do?"

He wasn't gonna call the police. Besides, this wasn't an emergency. And, it would probably take a few hours for them to get out here on this back road, especially in the snow.

Okay...he could see if he could get a stranger to give him a ride, although they probably wouldn't turn their car around and take Dave home. Now that his car was broken down, he couldn't go to his destination. He was planning on getting to his hotel tonight, but that wasn't going to happen. He couldn't get back, because he didn't have a working car anymore.

Bro was gonna kill him when he found out what happened to the car. Dave sighed, rolling up his sleeve and glancing at the bruises his brother had left on his arm. He had surprisingly strong hands. He rolled his sleeve back down and got out of the car, shuddering a bit as he felt the cold night air touch his skin.

After about fifteen minutes of standing hopelessly, his arm was starting to get tired, but he had to get somewhere for the night. The thought of what Bro was gonna do to him when he got home without the car was making him nervous. There were very few cars, and even fewer had stopped for him. In fact, the number was precisely zero.

Maybe it would be better to die out here than have to face Bro.

Regardless, he still stood there, doing that stupid fucking thumbs up, as if everything was just fucking dandy.

Just real goddamn fuckin' dandy.

Eventually, a red car pulled over as it was driving, and the blonde felt a little nervous. One of the windows rolled down, and he was greeted by a short and angry looking guy, who was probably about his age. He had abnormally red hair, some piercings in his right ear, and two right under his bottom lip. The sweater he had on was too big for him, and it had a little red crab on it, holding a gray Cancer sign in its pincers. The blonde felt a slight blush creep onto his face. Shit.

"Well, do you want a ride or not?!" The angry redhead in the car crossed his arms across his chest.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry," the blonde nodded, getting his stuff out of the trunk of his car and putting it on the floor as he sat down. The cute guy just looked at him, and Dave returned the glance as the smaller one began to drive. The albino glanced out the window as his car on the side of the road faded into the distance. At least the car wasn't awkwardly silent, since the radio was on, and some catchy rock song was playing that Dave didn't really know, but his foot still tapped against the floor to the beat.

"What's your name?" The blonde asked, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation. "What's it to you, blondie?" the redhead retorted sharply. "Chill. I was just asking your name. You know, like normal civilized people do? God."

"Karcsi."

"Is that like...German or something?" Dave asked.

"It's goddamn Hungarian, you uncultured fucking swine." The redhead growled.

No response from Dave. He simply just sighed. He knew that this guy was from another country; he could tell from his accent. "What's your name? Better fucking tell me if I'm gonna give your sorry ass a ride," Karcsi mumbled. "Dave." "Really? That's the best your parents could come up with?" The shorter one snorted. "Hey, at least my name isn't Kar-" Dave was cut off by Karcsi. "Ex-fucking-scuse me? I'll have you know that my name comes from the Hungarian version of the names of many great kings and philosophers. Dave comes from like, some guy no one cares about."

The blonde huffed angrily and looked out the window, fixing his shades. "Why are you wearing sunglasses at night, dumbfuck?" the Hungarian questioned. "They look cool." "They really don't. They just make you look like a douche and a tool." "Well, I like them, so fuck off!" Dave hissed. "Hey, I didn't have to pick you up back there! I saw you standing there, freezing your ass off in the cold, and felt sorry for someone so fucking pathetic that I had no choice but to pick you up," the redhead lied. "Ok, sure."

The two were silent for a long time, until Dave's phone rang. Karcsi turned the radio down a bit. The blonde grimaced as he heard Bro's voice on the other end of the phone. "David Elizabeth Strider. Where are you?" He muttered. "Driving. I really can't talk. I don't wanna get pulled over," the albino crossed his fingers, hoping bro wouldn't go off on him. "Where are you driving to?" "The convention. Remember? I bought tickets, and Rose worked really hard on my cosplay. I wasn't gonna just let her down. I told you before I left, and you said OK and told me to leave," Dave mumbled.

SHIT.

He just fucking admitted that he was going to a con in front of a cute boy! Oh fuck. Karcsi probably thought he was a lame, ugly virgin for enjoying cosplaying occasionally. Hell, he really only did it when he went to cons with his friends. "Oh right, your stupid fucking LARP shit. Where you dress up like anime characters and go hang out with a bunch of other lowlife virgins just like you. I can see why you'd enjoy that, David."

Dave groaned. "Whatever, dude. Insult my hobbies if you want. I don't care. Just leave me alone so I can drive. I don't want to fucking get pulled over," Dave hissed. "Don't fucking speak to me like that, David. Do you want me to give you another ass kicking? Remember last week? I could easily do that to you again. I bet you still have bruises," Bro teased.

Karcsi looked concerned, and glanced at Dave out of the corner of his eye. It was dead silent, and he could hear bro yelling now that he'd turned the radio off. "Go to your shitty con."

And with that, he hung up.

Outside, it had begun to snow, and everything was silent.

"What's his problem?" the redhead questioned. "That was my bro. He's...kind of an ass," Dave shrugged. "Sorry for being so goddamn snappy earlier," the Hungarian apologized. "It's fine."

"Can you please turn the radio on?" the blonde asked. This silence was making him uncomfortable, and he was afraid Karcsi would look over and see the tears in his eyes behind his shades.

The redhead did as Dave asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"You know, it's a little fucking late to be traveling anywhere. Do you..." Karcsi paused, inhaling deeply. He sounded agitated. "Do you wanna stay at my house? Just for one night." The blonde's red eyes widened, and a soft blush dusted his cheeks, invisible in the dark of night. "Yeah. That would be nice," he nodded. "Don't think this makes us friends or anything," the shorter one muttered. "Sure. Whatever you say, bro."

"Don't call me bro," Karcsi hissed.

Eventually, the snow began piling up, and they pulled down a narrow back road and stopped in front of a tiny house alone in the woods. "Get your shit and come on. I don't wanna get snowed out," the shorter one turned the car off and got out, opening the door and going inside. Dave got out of the car, gathering his stuff and going inside. The lights were on, and the house was cozy, even if it was a bit small. "You can sleep on the couch," the red-haired boy told him, giving him some blankets. It was pretty late, and Karcsi looked tired. He went and locked the door, and closed the blinds. Paranoid, maybe? Dave didn't want to question him, so he just thanked him.

A soft blush was dusted on his cheeks, and he decided to do something abnormally brave. The blonde kissed the other's cheek, quickly turning around and lying down on the couch. The redhead's hand traveled to the spot where Dave had kissed him, his brown eyes wide. "Fucking idiot."

Karcsi went to his room and turned off all the lights. It was cold, and Dave curled up desperately in the blankets to try and stay warm. Everything was dead silent, until he heard a quiet sobbing coming from the bedroom. He looked up at the door. Was this guy OK? The blonde got up, still wrapped in the blankets, and knocked gently on the door. "Is everything OK in there?" The Texan questioned gently. "It's fine! Go away!"

After a little while of lying on the couch, Dave couldn't sleep. Karcsi was also still crying, which admittedly made him pretty sad, even if he didn't know the guy very well. The blonde was startled by the redhead's door opening. "Dave. That's your name, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something?" he asked, sniffling.

"Sure. Lay it on me, man," Dave nodded, his form illuminated by the few shafts of moonlight that came in through the blinds. "It's cold. I..." Karcsi blushed. "I was wondering if...you know..." he paused, swearing harshly under his breath. "You'd wanna...like...come and...maybe...sleep...in my bed? In like the least homo way possible. I swear to god, if you think this is some kind of weird gross gay thing, it's not," the redhead was blushing furiously, although thankfully it was too dark to see. "Oh. Uh...yeah. Sure."

Hell yes! There was no way he was passing up the opportunity to have a totally heterosexual rest with a good bro.

"Get in here. Before I change my goddamn mind," he mumbled, heading back to bed but leaving the door open. The albino was smiling like a dumb idiot, and he grabbed all his blankets and went into the other's bedroom, in the least homosexual way possible. "Do you want me to close the door?" Dave asked. A faint 'yeah' from the smaller male lying in the bed. There was enough room for Dave, and he hesitantly lied down and made himself comfortable. He resisted the urge to hold the other. For reasons of keeping warm, of course. Not because Karcsi was totally adorable and actually really nice under his hard shell.

"Do you know anything about girls?" the Hungarian asked quietly, shattering the silence in the room. He was lying on his back, facing the ceiling, and Dave was lying on his side, facing Karcsi. "Girls? Hell yeah I know about girls. As would be expected from someone who gets so many of 'em," the albino laughed a bit. "Theoretically, like, just asking, if it were ever a possibility, why would a girl want to break up with a guy? Not that my girlfriend ever would. We're perfectly happy. Just wondering."

"Well...lots of reasons. It really depends. Sometimes, they think we're mean, or douchey, or assholes. Sometimes they're right. Or, they just want some space or some time alone. I mean, there's lots of other reasons too. You'd really have to ask why someone broke up with you in order to really know, y'know?" Dave said gently.

"Oh."

"To be completely honest, I...I asked because..."

Karcsi paused for a long time, sniffling quietly.

"My girlfriend broke up with me last week. We were together for two whole years, and then she said she didn't wanna be around me anymore. What the fuck's up with that?!" the redhead hissed angrily. "She didn't even tell me why. She won't answer my texts either," he sighed. "I just don't know what to do. I miss her so much, but she's obviously over me. I saw her with some other douchebag a few nights ago. She seemed happy. Much happier than she was with me." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Oh god. I'm sorry man, that's rough. I'm sure it's not your fault. Girls can be like that sometimes. Maybe she just...wanted some space. I don't know. If it's worth anything, I think you'd be a great boyfriend," Dave said.

Karcsi didn't even make a remark about that being gay. He merely thanked Dave and hugged him. The blonde hugged him back, and before the two knew it, they were holding each other. Like full on cuddling. "Thanks Dave. For letting me talk to you. You're a cool guy."

"You're welcome," the taller one nodded.

"You know, now that Teresa broke up with me, I'm single. No homo," Karcsi teased.

"Okay, fine. Maybe just a little homo."

Dave laughed, stroking the Hungarian's soft red hair. "I'll consider it. I'm single too."

"Was that whole thing about all the girls wanting you just total bullshit?" Karcsi asked, glancing up at Dave.

"Yeah. It was," the albino laughed

"Loser." The smaller one's voice was soft as a whisper.

"Totally," Dave laughed.


	8. Alternian Voyager

The Wanderer pulled his tattered brown hood over his fluffy black hair, his orange banded horns just barely poking out of the holes. His yellow eyes were wary, and they darted back and forth as he made his way across the barren planet. He needed to find somewhere to sit down and tend to his wounds.

Droplets of red rolled down his gray skin, painful reminders of the reason he was being hunted in the first place. Eventually, his intuition led him to a rocky cave, and he started a small fire with a stick and two rocks, carrying it far into the cave as to not be noticed. Droplets of his red mutiny left a trail on the smooth rock behind him, and he sat down, exhausted. The smooth book between his hands never felt more comforting, and he flipped open the tattered leather cover, his eyes scanning the words of his ancient ancestor long passed. The same one who's footsteps he was following in now. The same red sickness that traveled through his veins also penetrated the body of the Signless. His sermons were printed in the Wanderer's book, and his dying rage was blossoming in the young Wanderer's heart.

The flickering light of the flame ignited the Signless' words, giving the aimless voyager the strength he needed to continue on his journey. The long and lonely road he walked was only his, shared before him by Kankri, on a time when Alternia was at peace, and was then named Beforus, and before Kankri by the one who's words still echoed in distant halls and closed chambers, the Signless Sufferer. Now, it was The Wanderer Karkat's time to walk the path of Blood. There was no one to welcome him to his lonesome path, because it was his and only his to walk. Somehow, the mutant gene that created his despised caste had survived the Signless' execution. Kankri was then born, raised by Porrim, just as the Dolorosa had done for the Signless. After Kankri's death, and the death of Beforus, Alternia arose from the ashes.

A new name for a new beginning. Things had returned to the way they were during the Signless' time, as Her Imperious Condescension had returned to raise a new generation of young trolls after killing Feferi Peixes, heir to the Alternian throne. Things were just as they had been during his ancestor's time, and the young Wanderer was forced to flee the planet with help of the Auxiliatrix, Kanaya Maryam. She took care of him; raised him from a grub. However, The Auxiliatrix turned herself in to protect The Wanderer. Her hope was that the highbloods would at least postpone their search for a little while.

He hoped she was alright.

However, the Wanderer was in danger. He could never rest or let his guard down, even for a second, or the Highbloods may find him. Or at least, that's how it used to be. For now, he was safe, at least for a while. The Auxiliatrix, being a hero of Space, had put him on a planet and relocated him somewhere far off in the solar system, where the Highbloods couldn't find him. However, he was now stranded, wandering his desert planet aimlessly.

All he could do was hope to not be discovered.

Unfortunately, all that was about to change.

A blonde man stood on the bridge of his starship, the space before him reflected off the glasses he was wearing. Lil Hal, a highly intelligent and complex AI version of his brother's brain, was his only companion.

To some, it may seem extremely bizzare that this guy is traveling around in deep space with an AI version of his dead brother's brain, but Hal meant a lot to him, even if he was way more of a douchebag than Dirk ever was. Hal was really the only evidence that his brother ever even existed in the first place, besides a few old photos. Not to mention that the AI was Dave's only companion on his lonesome journey.

Dave liked to refer to himself as an explorer, hopping from planet to planet in search of adventure. It wasn't like he could go back to Earth anyways, not after the incident several years ago. He was presumed to be dead anyways, and he didn't really have any family left alive to miss him, though. Therefore, there was no reason to go back. Besides, he didn't want to be forced to explain to his crewmate's families why they had all died and he had survived.

"Hal, plot a course to the nearest planet in this part of the galaxy that we haven't explored," Dave ordered, leaning against the control panel. "Okay. According to my calculations, the nearest unexplored planet is 1,413 miles from here, sir," Hal reported back, his tone flat as usual. "Good. What's our current speed?" The blonde questioned, raising an eyebrow. "1,000 miles per hour, sir," the AI responded.

"Well, we should be there in a little over an hour, then," the younger Strider nodded, leaning back against the control panel. He glanced at the framed photos of his older brother, Dirk, and the rest of his crew members that rested atop the panel. "Planet number 278. I'm proud of us!" The blonde puffed out his chest triumphantly, smirking ever so slightly.

To think, he could be the very first person to ever explore this planet! The thought excited him. He hoped that there would be aliens on this planet. It was always fun making contact with aliens. The nice ones, at least.

The Wanderer wrapped his tattered cape around himself, his wounds still aching from the confrontation with the Highbloods a few days ago, and another with one of the many strange beasts that roamed the planet, which happened merely hours ago.

It was good that this planet was mostly barren, though. The young Wanderer was so used to having the Auxiliatrix to defend him, slicing through the monsters that had the same red cancer in their veins as the Wanderer did. He had nothing but his thresher to defend himself, and ended up narrowly escaping. There was no more kind and tender Jade-blooded troll lusus to hold him close and clean the blood from his wounds.

He was going to get her back, even if it killed him.

Even if he had to suffer the same fate as the Signless. He was ready for it. No amount of burning pain shackled around his wrists could quell the fire in his heart.

"Looks like it has a breathable atmosphere, and the gravity is similar to Earth's, albeit a bit less," Hal said, projecting some complex statistics and graphs onto the computer screen. "Nice. I don't need to bring any sick gear then. Kind of nice, considering the last six fucking planets have all been shitty chunks of rock with noble gases for atmospheres," the albino rolled his eyes behind his black shades. "That is true. The last planets have not exactly been the most hospitable, and it's nice to have a planet with a breathable atmosphere," Hal responded to his captain.

Dave sat down in his captain's chair, crossing his feet in front of him, allowing Hal to pilot the ship. The captain's red eyes rested on the gray metal body of DIRKBOT, an incomplete, robotic form of his older brother. The reason why Dirk was creating it was unknown by Dave, and when he asked Hal, he never got a response. It was still unfinished, since it was unpainted. Still, the younger Strider knew how to upload Hal into the robot, so he could bring him on explorations and such. It was pretty lonely going anywhere without his trusty companion!

Dave didn't really call him DIRKBOT though, and had painted over his nameplate to make it say 'HALBOT' instead. It fit better, considering the fact that it was Hal in the robot. "Hal, take a picture of us," the blonde stood up from his chair and squatted down next to HALBOT, flashing a peace sign all whilst retaining his usual stoic expression.

"That's a good one," Hal projected the picture onto the computer screen, and the captain got up to look at it. "Yeah, it is."

The Wanderer sat in the cave, trembling, hissing angrily at his own fear. The Signless wouldn't be afraid. The Auxiliatrix would want him to be brave. The Signless' last words were etched into his mind, and he swore he could feel a sharp pain in his side and in his knee.

The same place the Signless had been injured when he became the Sufferer.

The Last Sermon echoed in his hollow chest, and a bright, burning vision of an equal Alternia kept the Signless' flame alive. An Alternia where he wouldn't be afraid to show his blood color, and where a troll wouldn't be treated by the color of their blood, but rather the content of their character. A ruler would be elected instead of being born into power by blood color. Mutants would no longer be culled, and the Wanderer, whom they laughed at and called a cancer, would be right all along. No little grub would have to hide their blood ever again. No troll boy or girl would ever have to cry alone in their room again, because they knew they were different, and utterly alone.

No one would ever have to walk the path of the Signless, Kankri, or the Wanderer again. There would be peace and harmony, and the next candy-red blooded troll would be accepted into normal society, and treated with the dignity and respect he deserved.

The Wanderer's torch flame reflected off the red river that was spattered on the smooth rocks of the cave floor, dancing in orange, yellow, and a similar red. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. No medical supplies, but the cave was safe. If he were to leave, maybe he could find something to dress his wounds, but he knew the monsters on the planet could smell blood, and he was a sitting target if he went outside like this.

The ship landed on the surface of the desert planet, the metal ramp descending into the sand. Hal was already in the robot, which gave Dave time to collect his weapons; his railgun, laser gun, and his sword.

The sword was his favorite. It was given to him by Dirk, supposedly passed down from a legendary Welsh warrior, unmatched in skill and strength. Of course, that was probably just a silly story that Dirk made up to make the sword seem cooler. Still, it was definitely Dave's favorite. Dirk always called it Caledfwlch, which was supposedly its Welsh name. That name just kind of stuck, and it's been called Caledfwlch ever since.

He put the blade in his belt, motioning for Hal to follow him outside. The robot followed behind his master like a loyal pet, scanning the planet for any source of life nearby.

It seemed safe, and the albino's red eyes scanned the sandy horizon. Nothing but rock formations, sand hills, a few scraggly plants just barely hanging on, and more fucking sand. "There's so much goddamn sand. I've never seen so much fucking sand in my life. Just look at all this sand. If sand were a currency, we'd be filthy fuckin' rich right now. It's like the sand jackpot," Dave said.

"Thanks for the insightful commentary," the AI gave a robotic laugh, taking a small sample of the sand with one of his handy little robotic hands.

Hal had such a good sense of humor. A slight pang of sadness stabbed his chest for a brief second. Dirk was always really funny. Then again, Hal was Dirk, just only his brain, and as an AI. The good thing was, Hal didn't really recognize emotions well, and the only part of Dave that ever showed any hints as to what he was feeling was concealed by his shades. "Let's go. We have a lot of vast, empty desert to explore. I bet it won't just be a metric fuckton of sand, some rocks, and some cacti," the blonde laughed.

He started on his way, going northwest, his companion following behind. The captain unzipped his jacket, face reddening in the heat. He and Hal crossed what felt like endless miles of sand dunes without speaking to each other at all, except for occasional, incredibly shitty sand or desert jokes on Dave's part before Hal pointed out a cave between two large rocks. "Damn. Nice going, Hal. I didn't even notice that," Dave smiled awkwardly, loading his laser gun and pulling a flashlight from his belt. He always carried one, as having it when exploring unknown planets was extremely beneficial. Carrying one also meant he was prepared for all power outages, even though only a few had ever happened on his ship within the time he was captain. Hal could also usually restore power within a few hours without a problem, so that was nice. Just one of the many advantages of having an AI copilot and friend.

Hal took the lead, his urge to protect Dave getting the best of him. If he was hurt, he could easily be repaired, but if the human was hurt, he wouldn't be as lucky. Dave glanced down at the cave floor, noticing that his flashlight reflected off some kind of liquid. He leaned down and put his finger in it, glancing at the strange liquid. "Blood. And it's fresh, too. Still wet," the albino muttered. Hal turned around, looking down at the blood. "Be careful. Something might be lurking in this cave," he warned. The younger Strider nodded, standing back up.

The Wanderer heard distant footsteps and hushed voices, and quickly snuffed out his torch, backing up against the wall. Shit. He'd lost his thresher, so if he were to have to fight, it would be hand-to-hand. He knew he would lose, because he was injured. The Wanderer kept himself wrapped in his cape, prepared to defend if need be. Who could possibly be here?

This planet was supposed to be abandoned.

Maybe the highbloods found him.

"Did you hear that?" Hal turned to face the blonde once more. "Yeah," Dave responded. Hal crept quietly towards the source of the sound, following the natural twists and turns of the cave. More blood on the ground. Hal stopped for a moment to take a sample of it, but he was unable to determine what or who it belonged to.

The two stopped as they reached the source of the sound. Hal shone his flashlight in the Wanderer's face, causing him to hiss. Dave stepped in front of the robot, covering his flashlight with his hand, only allowing a small amount of light to come through. "You're freaking it out. Let's just—"

The blonde was cut off by a sharp pain in the back of his leg. The Wanderer had lashed out in fear and scratched him.

"Fuck!" Dave spat, yelping in pain.

The captain turned around to face the troll, removing his hand from Hal's flashlight. He turned to face Karkat, and removed his hand from the light. Karkat's skin was gray, clammy, and covered in blood. The troll's desperate hand held the Signless' book of sermons tight. The blonde realized that this alien guy was hurt.

"Do you need medical help, dude?" The captain asked calmly, as if earlier's confrontation didn't even happen. This guy probably didn't speak human language, let alone English. Hal knelt down, reaching towards him to try and touch him, but Karkat slapped Hal's hand away. The AI turned to face Dave, and he shone the beam of his flashlight on the back of the albino's leg, where the scratches given to him by the Wanderer had begun to bleed, and the blood made a small red stain on his sock.

The troll's yellow eyes widened in shock when he noticed the color of Dave's blood.

This guy had the same red disease in his veins that the wanderer did. "You...your blood."

"What?"

Dave turned around to face the Wanderer, shining the flashlight in his face again. "Get that shit out of my face! God! You're going to burn my fucking gander bulbs out! I need those, you dumbfuck!" The Wanderer tried to swat the flashlight away, recoiling in pain. "Sorry!" The blonde muttered, covering the piercing beam with his hand.

"Do you need some help, bro? You're bleeding," Dave asked, looking down at the faint shape of the Wanderer pressed against the cave wall. "Never in my life have I ever seen anyone, or anything with the same blood as me. At least, not anything that wasn't a carapacian or a dumb animal," he said, staring at Dave's bloodied leg. "Do they see you as a curse? A cancer? A mutation? Are you an infection bubbling up at the back of their spine, trying to flee the boiling fever of their torment?" The troll squinted.

"Uh...what?"

"Your blood. It's...the same red as mine. Is that not a fucking curse? Does it not haunt you every goddamn day?"

"Um...no. There's nothing wrong with my blood. Every human has blood this color," the blonde responded, sounding confused. The Wanderer was silent for a long time. "On my planet, all those of us with your blood color are mutants. We're a cancer which has no place on the hemospectrum, which is basically bullshit that highbloods made up to keep the lower classes under their control. And I do need medical attention, but not from one of your fuckhead gross pink alien people," he hissed, gritting his teeth; showing his small fangs.

"Hey, you should be happy we found you and are gonna help you out, dude! You're hurt. Also, us 'pink alien people' are called humans, and we're you're only hope. There's jack shit in this desert except sand," Dave squinted.

"Fine. But just know that I'm coming because it's my choice. Here I am, consenting. Giving you shitbucket 'humans' permission to dress my wounds by my own sound mental judgement. This is solely, 100% my choice, only because I'd like to not fucking die in this shitty ass ugly dark cave, where I can barely see for shit. Put away your weapon, Srodar."

"It's Strider," the other corrected curtly, reaching down to help the troll up. The blonde wondered for a second how Karkat knew his last name, but then realized it was embroidered on his captain's uniform. He pushed Dave's hand away and stood up on his feet, stretching his arms out to keep his balance. Karkat still held his book in his hand. Hal followed behind, not really caring too much about the exchange that had just happened. That could've gone a lot better, but it could've gone a lot worse too.

The Wanderer followed behind Dave, blinking in the harsh light. The captain arrived at his ship, stepping up onto the ramp. Karkat stopped dead in his tracks. "Whoa. You never said I had to go into your freaky ass alien ship," he hissed, staring down at the metal ramp. "Do you want to stay here in this hot ass desert, man? Besides, it's comfy. You'd like it," Dave nodded, striding onto the ship. The troll eventually walked onto the ship, following the captain reluctantly. "Again, I'm doing this 100% by my own free will." Karkat made sure to reiterate that he wasn't any kind of prisoner or something. "If you say so."

"So...Mr..."

The blonde paused. "What's your name?"

"Wanderer. I'm not telling a scumbag like you my real name," Karkat hissed. "Alright. Mr...Wanderer," Dave shrugged. "I'll show you to your room. Unless you don't wanna stay on my 'freaky ass alien ship,'" the blonde smirked slightly. "I never said—"

The blonde simply nodded and led the alien down a long hall, stopping in front of an empty room. He pressed a button, and the doors slid open, and the albino glanced at The Wanderer expectantly. "Hey, what about those rooms?" He asked, pointing to the seven rooms that they'd just passed. "Those ones are shit. Trust me, they're like a festering bucket of shit in comparison to this one," Dave said calmly. "And the one on the end is mine, so that one's not available."

Okay, so maybe Dave didn't want Karkat in the rooms that belonged to his dead friends. Was that really so much to ask? Besides, those rooms were locked, boarded up.

"Why the fuck are they boarded up?" The Wanderer questioned. "Because. They're shit," the blonde repeated.

The troll squinted at the captain for a moment before entering the room, the sandals he worse shuffling across the metal floor. "Whoa, what the hell's that?!" the troll's body stiffened, and his gray finger pointed to the bed. "It's a bed. Your people don't have beds? Where the fuck do you sleep? On the floor?" Dave questioned. "What? No! We have recuperacoons!"

The blonde pushed his shades up a bit. "What the fuck is a recuperacoon?"

"You—you know! It's a cocoon, and it's full of slime, and you stand up and sleep in the slime. It's very pleasant, actually. Probably far less shitty than your ugly and dirty ass human 'bed.' Note the enclosure talons around the word that I just made with my prong nubs," Karkat glared at the bed, disgust written all over his face.

"Dude, what the fuck are enclosure talons? Do you mean apostrophes? And prong nubs? Are you shitting me?" Dave laughed. "What?! It's the best word my people could come up with. I personally think that 'enclosure talons' sounds much better than 'apo-strife-whatever' bullshit." The Wanderer seemed really angry.

"How do I even use this thing?" The troll looked down at the bed. "I can't believe it. I have to demo how to lie in a bed. This wasn't a part of my job description," he sighed, walking past Karkat and over to the bed. He lifted the blanket, retaining his same stoic expression. "Step 1, lift blanket. Step 2, get into bed," he said, sliding into the bed. He put the blanket over him. "Step 3, lie down. Step 4, profit " The blonde gave a thumbs up, then got out of bed.

The gray-skinned alien squinted at the captain and picked up the blanket off the floor. "Okay. If you need some food or shit, I'm leavin' the door unlocked," the captain told him, closing the door.

Karkat was left alone, and he looked down at the bed, sitting on it. Although he hated to admit it, it was sort of comfortable. He would never say that to Dave, though. The troll wrapped his cape around him, setting his open book down on his knees. Now was a good time to look to the Signless' words for advice. He was in a time of need and suffering, after all.

Hopefully these people would keep their word. Karkat felt a little scared. What if this crazy dude wanted to hurt him or experiment on him? What if he was gonna turn him in to the highbloods? Maybe trusting this Strider guy was a mistake.

The troll got up and pushed the button for the door, opening it. He was not a prisoner here. They didn't lock him up, and he exited the room without an issue. His wounds ached, and a lot of his body was bloody. A wave a pain welled up in his heart. He missed the Auxiliatrix. Karkat leaned against the door frame, the pain in his legs worsening. Hopefully Kanaya was Alright. Probably not.

What if she was hurt? Or dead?

He failed. He failed at protecting her. The troll returned to his room and closed the door, lying down on the strange human bed. It was kind of comfortable. Not nearly as comfortable as his recuperacoon, however.

He heard a voice outside the door, and Hal entered the room. "Hello, Mr. Wanderer. My name is Hal. I'm the ship's medical officer, so I'm gonna do my job," he said calmly, kneeling down on the floor next to the troll. "I don't hate you as much as I hate the Dave human," the Wanderer nodded. "Which is to say that I hate you a lot, because the Dave human is absolutely repulsive. And not in a good way. Then again, you're almost equally as repulsive, but just less, because you aren't pink and ugly."

After Hal finished caring for the injured troll, he left the troll's room without so much as a goodbye.

Finally, Dave returned to the room. "Yo. Now that Hal helped you out, do you wanna leave?" the captain asked.

Some stupid part of him got nervous, and wanted to ask Dave to help him rescue The Auxiliatrix. Besides, everything still hurt. He needed somewhere to stay where he'd be safe for a few days while he recuperated. "No," he blurted. Fuck.

A soft red blush spread across his face, and he looked away.

"What...? Why? I thought you'd wanna bolt out of here faster than a fuckin' Olympic sprinter," the blonde laughed. "What's an olympic sprinter?" The troll questioned. "Never mind. Just tell me why you don't want to leave. You seemed really eager earlier," Dave told him. "Because. I'm hungry. I haven't eaten jack shit in so long." He quickly made something up out of sheer embarrassment.

"I can get you some food. What do you wanna eat?" Dave said calmly. "I don't know, all your human food probably tastes like shit anyways," Karkat growled. "I'll get you something," the blonde shrugged. "Eat it if you want," he said, leaving the room.

The blonde came back with a bit of bread, and gave it to the troll. He held it in his gray hands and simply stared at it for a while. "What the fuck is this?" The Wanderer squinted. "Bread. You don't have bread on your planet? Shit, you're missing out. Bread is like the food of the gods." "Well, good. Because I only deserve food fit for the finest gods," Karkat responded. He sniffed the bread a bit, and then licked it.

His gold stare shifted to Dave.

"Go away!" Karkat hissed.

Dave left the room, watching Karkat through the door. He was eating the bread, even if he was only taking a few small nibbles. It was like watching a child try a new food that they weren't sure they'd like or not.

A gentle blush spread across his face, but he quickly resumed 'cool guy' façade.

He watched Karkat get into the bed, and he moved around a lot before he finally got comfortable, and fell into a light sleep.

The troll looked very cute when he was asleep. His messy black hair fell around his face in a perfect way, and his cheeks were flushed a soft pink, probably because he was flustered about having to stay on some alien ship. The blonde on the other side of the door blushed softly as a slight smile came onto his face.

Shit.

He hadn't had another living being as a companion in so long; let alone one who he thought was attractive. It was a very strange feeling, but he kind of liked the way that it felt. It'd been just him and his crew on a three-year mission until the accident, then it had just been him and Hal. It felt utterly alien having someone else on board. Especially a cute alien boy. He'd been floating through space aimlessly for so long that he nearly forgot what having a crush felt like.

After snapping out of his daydream, he returned to Karkat's room, finding him awake and sitting on the bed. He was reading his book, and he looked a little better than he did a few hours ago. Dave poked his head through the doorway, looking at the now-awake troll. "Hey!"

Karkat simply looked at him, rolled his eyes, and returned to his reading.

As Dave went to leave, the troll spoke up.

"Wait."

The captain stopped dead in his tracks and returned to Karkat's room, standing in the doorway once more. "Yeah?"

"You're the leader, right? Like of your weird as fuck alien ship?" Karkat asked.

"Yeah. I am the only one, after all. Why?" The blonde looked at him. "I...I hate saying this. To think I failed. To think I'm so fucking incapable that I can't even save my own fucking lusus!" Karkat hissed.

"What is it you need, dude? Also, what's a lusus?"

"I need you to help me rescue my lusus. Her name is Kanaya, but you shouldn't call her that. Call her The Auxiliatrix. She turned herself in to the Highbloods in order to keep me safe, and they're keeping her captive. And a lusus is a caregiver, dumbfuck. Don't you have one? You know, a guardian? Fucking retard," Karkat sighed.

"Oh. Like a parent. I get it. Still, I don't know about the whole saving your lusus thing," the blonde told him. He didn't really wanna risk his life for a random alien's parent, even if said alien was cute as fuck and the only possibility of a friend that he'd had in months. "Well, you're a douchebag. She's in danger. Chances are that they'll kill her, and I'll never see her again! But you know, what-fucking-ever, right? On top of all that, I have an oppressive regime to overthrow," the troll growled.

"Let me sleep on it," Dave told Karkat. "Thanks, you festering river of shit. You're absolutely deplorable. I'm obviously in no fucking shape to save her, and if I went back there, I'd be culled immediately because everyone and their fucking ancestor is out to get me. Just because my goddamn blood color. But yeah, go ahead, just fucking sleep on it, bitchlord. By the way, the fate of my entire planet, all trollkind, and possibly even the galaxy," the troll spat angrily, forcing Dave out of the room and locking the door behind him.

Talk about angst. The captain checked to make sure that HALBOT was back in his charging station and that Hal had put the computer into sleep mode, as well as locked the ship down. Good. Hal was probably asleep in the computer. "Goodnight, Hal." Dave said quietly, to no response from the AI.

He passed by the old rooms of his crew members, trying to ignore the sick feeling he got every night when he passed by them. It was almost as if their ghosts had come back to haunt him for his fatal error on the day of the accident. He got to his room and opened the door, sitting down on his bed. After stripping out of his clothes and changing into a t-shirt and shorts, the blonde got into bed, closing the curtains above him.

Nice and dark. The captain hoped insomnia wouldn't bug him tonight, since he was pretty tired and wanted to rest. Unfortunately, this was when many of his negative flashbacks, memories, or ideas came to haunt him, particularly about the accident.

However, after lying awake and staring at his ceiling for a few hours, he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The Wanderer fell asleep still wondering what was in those rooms. It was obvious that Dave was hiding something, and it creeped Karkat out a lot. What if he was like a creepy scientist or something? The excuse that the rooms were shit was obviously fake. What did Dave care that some of the rooms on his spaceship kind of sucked? Maybe he was some kind of OCD nutjob. He just hoped that he wouldn't wake up missing some organs tomorrow.

Dave woke up early, as always, and went to the room where he and his crew used to eat meals. HALBOT was there, having prepared breakfast for his captain. The blonde's hair was a mess, and he was still wearing his baggy clothes from the night's sleep. His shades were sliding down his nose, but the blonde didn't bother to push them up. HALBOT knew he'd snap out of it once he had something to eat, and maybe a coffee. "Good morning, Dave," HALBOT greeted, pouring the albino a cup of coffee, just the way he liked it.

The blonde nodded and gave a thumbs up in response, sipping on his coffee and digging into the delicious meal that his brother's AI had made.

Karkat got up from the bed, having slept surprisingly well. "Fuck you, comfortable human bed," the troll hissed before opening the door and exiting the room.

"Did you make a decision about the fate of the troll's parental 'lusus'?" HALBOT asked, making some toast for Karkat. Dave just remembered that. Shit. "Uh...not really. I kinda just think I'll help him, I guess. Besides, it sounds important. He said the fate of his race rested upon my choice, but that might just be a bunch of shit," the younger Strider shrugged. "I doubt it. Besides, in the troll's defense, it is his parent, and he is in no shape to fight anyone on his planet. He doesn't even have a ship to get back," the artificial brain deadpanned.

"Wow, Hal. Never thought you'd side with him," Dave joked. "I don't see what harm could come of it. Besides, maybe a little adrenaline to get my blood flowin' will make me feel...a little better," he spoke quietly. "It has been scientifically proven that exercise does help with depression," HALBOT nodded curtly. "I don't have depress—" the blonde went to deny the blatantly obvious fact that he did in fact have depression, but was cut off by Karkat.

"Have you decided yet, you repulsive pink scumbag?" Karkat asked brashly, sitting down in what once was Dirk's seat at the table. HALBOT put the plate of toast in front of the troll, returning to the kitchen to clean up a little. "Yeah. I'll do it. You gotta promise though that you nor anyone else will hail me as any kind of hero, got it?" The blonde questioned, staring blankly into his cup of coffee.

"What? Why?" Karkat scoffed. "Got it?" Dave asked again, his gaze unflinching. "Okay, okay, god. I fuckin' got it, you ugly piss stain," the troll looked offended, as if someone had just personally insulted him and all his family. If trolls had families, that is. Maybe they insulted his lusus or whatever.

"I'll get on it 'soon as I finish eating," he told the alien. The Wanderer stared him down until he was done eating. From there, Dave made his way to the bridge, still in his baggy t-shirt and shorts.

Karkat was disgusted at how his human legs looked in those shorts, and he pitied the ugly virgin of a captain. He found him repulsed by himself as he realized it was a bit redder pity than he'd originally thought. Dave was just so fucking lame.

They were officially headed to...fuck. Wherever crabby guy came from. He forgot the name. The albino stepped back from the computer and let Karkat put the coordinates in, having Hal, who had returned to the computer, plot a course to the troll's planet. It was a long way from where they were, and the journey would probably take days. Oh yay.

After a few painfully long days of Dave's cool guy façade bugging the shit out of the Wanderer and lots of questions about the dead crew, they finally arrived a couple hundred thousand feet from Alternia. Karkat said there was no way Dave's 'big ass ship' could land undetected on the planet, so they'd have to use one of the smaller backup escape ships.

Hal decided to tag along in his robot form, which made Dave feel a little better. Karkat instructed them exactly where to go, which was good, because if they got noticed, they'd easily be killed on the spot. The blonde shoved his weapon into the troll's hands, quickly briefing him on how to use it. He always kept another weapon on him, so it was fine.

They landed in a discreet location outside a huge prison building, where The Wanderer knew they were keeping his lusus. How he knew this was beyond Dave, but maybe he had magical troll powers or something. A teal-blooded troll was guarding the door, but against the three of them, he was outnumbered and outgunned.

They headed further into the prison, The Wanderer leading the way. He carried a stolen torch in his left hand, and his weapon in the right. After taking out the guards and disabling security with the help of trusty ol' HALBOT, they got to the cells where the prisoners were kept.

The Wanderer's face contorted into a pain-filled expression upon seeing all the trolls locked up in the cells. Many of these trolls were his friends, ones he had preached to; even ones he had yet to meet. At the end of the hall, there was a cell lit with two torches; orange light reflected off a slender, curvy silhouette, hands bound behind. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the troll in the cell wore a torn white dress, stained with green, and pricked by multiple holes that revealed her gray skin. Her gaze was projected at the stone floor, her short black hair a mess, and her face bloodied, bruised, and tear-stained. She looked much older than Karkat, but then again, who knew how old magical alien women ever really were?

The Wanderer saw her and nearly dropped his torch.

"Kanaya."

His voice sounded soft and weak, and rattled off the stone walls. "K-Karkat?" The troll woman glanced up at him. "I'm here, mom," the male troll smiled softly, crouching down and reaching through the bars, his smaller hand touching his lusus' leg. "Oh my, look at you! You've gotten so strong! Who are your bizarre companions?" She asked softly.

"Oh. They...they found me on the planet you left me on, and brought me here to rescue you. They're alright I guess; pretty annoying," he glanced back at the captain and HALBOT behind him.

"Hey Karkat's mom. I'm Dave, and this is my good bro, HALBOT," he told her calmly.

"Ah. Thank you, strange Dave alien, for assisting my lovely Karkat in his voyage," she smiled slightly. "Human. Human Dave," Dave corrected nonchalantly.

"That doesn't fucking matter," Karkat dismissed Dave with a wave of his hand. "What does is that you're stuck here, and we have to get you out before those highblood fucks find out we're here," the mutant-blooded troll turned to his Jade lusus. "Where's the goddamn key?"

"One of the highbloods keeps it over there," Kanaya gestured to a hook on the wall that had several key rings dangling from it. "So, how'd you get here, Karkat's troll mom?" Dave asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Well, that's quite a lengthy anecdote," she laughed lightly, blushing a soft jade. "You can call me Kanaya, if you'd like—" the troll was cut off by Karkat's angry voice. "No. The Auxiliatrix is what you call her," he growled.

"Whatever dude. I still wanna know how the hell you got in this nasty ass prison. It smells like a brony convention in here," Dave crinkled his nose a bit.

Kanaya looked a bit confused by the blonde's metaphor, but began to tell her story nonetheless. "I turned myself in. I had hoped that the highbloods would cease, or, at the very least, postpone their search for Karkat once they had me. I did it to protect him."

The Wanderer couldn't reach the key ring, since it was made for highbloods. The general rule of the hemospectrum was this: the higher you are on the spectrum, the taller you are. Of course, there were always exceptions, and variations to the rule according to sex. However, mutants were always freakishly tall or short. All of the heroes of Blood had been very short, with The Signless only reaching 5'2" at the end of his life.

Karkat's face was a bright red, realizing he couldn't reach the keys. Kanaya laughed a bit, nodding at Dave, which was a subtle signal for him to help the troll with the keys. The blonde held back a snicker, walking over to the ring as he stood on his toes and plucked the keys off the ring. He held them over the flustered mutant's head, a shit-eating grin plastered on his usually emotionless face. Dave tossed the keys to HALBOT, allowing him to open the door while he looked for something to cut the ropes that kept The Auxiliatrix's hands bound. "Dave. Let me use Caledfwlch," HALBOT demanded calmly. "What? No way in hell dude, this sword is only able to be handled by Striders who are cool and ironic enough to handle it, that being me." "Give me the sword, Dave. Or are you forgetting who gave it to you?" The robot questioned, causing Dave's smile to fade. "Okay. But don't scratch it," the blonde said, handing over the white blade. "Good pun," HALBOT said, grasping the blade by its gray and white striped hilt, turning to face the cell.

Dave unlocked the door, allowing The Wanderer to run into the cell and hug his lusus.

The robot went into the cell, holding the blade. "Excuse me, miss. Let me just cut these." He manipulated the blade deftly, cutting the ropes that kept her from hugging the mutant back.

"Thank you, Hal robot," Kanaya smiled softly.

She stood up to her full height, her tattered and stained white dress falling just above her knees at the longest point. Besides that, she had nothing else on. No jewelry or makeup, as it had been confiscated. She wasn't big on jewelry, but she always wore a necklace with Karkat's symbol on it to remind her of her beloved moirail and child.

The Wanderer let the Auxiliatrix lean against him for support. The Jadeblood clutched her side in pain as she winced slightly. "Are these your sick-ass robes?" Dave asked, removing some flowy, Jade green and black robes from a drawer about ten feet from the cell. "Oh. Yes, thank you," she nodded, gritting her teeth. "I'm sorry, Karkat. I'm not in any shape to welcome you back. Regardless, I love you," she said softly, pressing her full black lips against his forehead.

"Miss. You should return to the ship with us so that I may dress your wounds. It's—"

HALBOT was cut off by a cerulean-blooded girl with glasses who burst into the prison, standing in front of a cobalt-blooded buff man, a purple-blooded juggalo girl, two teal-bloods, and an intimidatingly tall fish-like troll wearing a cape.

"Karkat! Get out of here! Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you!" The Auxiliatrix hissed, her maternal instinct taking over. Her blood boiled in her veins, and the anger only a mother could feel when her child was endangered filled her. She stood up, but HALBOT took her arm and allowed her to lean against him. The captain, the robot, and The Auxiliatrix created a barrier between the highbloods at the door and the mutant. Dave suddenly felt scared. What if they tried to hurt Karkat?

"Well, well, well. What have we here? This is certainly a unique situation," the cerulean-blood laughed, taking a step forward. The group tensed up. Kanaya whispered something to HALBOT who nodded in agreement, and then let the troll stand on her own. The robot extended his arm and grabbed a tube of lipstick from the drawer, handing it to The Auxiliatrix, who was on her feet with an angry glow in her eyes. She motioned for Dave to stand back as she removed the cap from the lipstick. The thing seemed to just suddenly turn into a chainsaw, and Kanaya hissed loudly, willing to protect Karkat until her last breath.

"Vriska! What are you doing here?! I told you, leave him alone!" She spat angrily, looking back at Karkat, who clenched his weapon tightly.

"No tricks, Kanaya. I'm just happy that I caught you all at such a great time. I'm not sure who the ugly pink guy and the robot are, but I'm sure they aren't important," Vriska scoffed. "Now. Give me the mutant, and we'll have no problems," she demanded. "Over my fucking corpse," Kanaya yelled, flipping her chainsaw on.

"Fine."

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again. The highblood almost felt bad about this. Almost. She used to be red for Kanaya, and still kind of was. Hurting someone Kanaya loved wasn't really what she wanted to do, but Her Imperious Condescension had given exact orders; 'if you see the mutant, capture him and slate him for culling.' Vriska was, admittedly, quite red for their dear leader, but was also partially scared of what Lovely Miss Condy might do if she found out that Vriska had encountered Karkat and let him free. It was her life or Karkat's, and she'd choose her own any day. Besides, she promised not to hurt Kanaya, or any of her odd friends.

And so, she activated her mind-control powers, something very few trolls of her quite high blood caste had. She was indeed a strange case.

Karkat stared at Vriska, and shouldered past Dave and HALBOT. "Karkat! No!" The Jadeblood shouted, grabbing Karkat's arm, trying to hold him back. "Kanaya. Let me go," he said calmly. She knew Vriska was mind-controlling him, and tears rolled down her face. "Aw, look. The mother loses her child. Again," the cerulean-blooded woman laughed. Of course, she did almost feel bad.

She grabbed Karkat by the wrist and pulled out her sword, holding it to his neck. "One move, and the cancer gets it," she laughed, glancing at Kanaya, then at Dave, who was gritting his teeth, holding his railgun so tight that his already pale knuckles were impossibly white, almost the color of the cueball-like marble blade that HALBOT still held.

The Cerulean Seer turned to face the door, her blade still pressed to the mutant's neck as the other highbloods followed behind her. She slammed the prison door closed, leaving Dave, HALBOT, and Kanaya in the dimly lit, dank stone room.

The jadeblood began to cry softly, retracting her chainsaw. HALBOT handed her a handkerchief to dry her tears. "It's okay," Dave said darkly. His voice sounded exhausted. "We'll save Karkat. Hal, go back to the ship with Kanaya. Tend to her wounds. I'll go try and get Karkat back. Give Cal here," the blonde looked at the robot, motioning for him to hand the blade over.

"No. It's much too dangerous. Trust me, Dave human, you don't know who you're dealing with," Kanaya spoke up. "Go back to the ship. Get as many weapons as you can. Hal-bot, I will take you up on your offer. We are going to save Karkat," she nodded, determination flashing in her eyes.

The blonde half stumbled, half ran back to the mini escape ship, whilst The Auxiliatrix and HALBOT followed close behind. On what Kanaya had said about weapons, Dave's best weapon was Cal, but he did have his railgun. That could come in handy if he had to fight the cerulean bitch. He sat for a long time, trying to plan out a strategy for each weapon that Vriska could possibly.

He turned around to see Kanaya wearing her full Alternian garb. Damn. She must've changed when he was thinking about battle plans. She was standing in front of one of the windows, using it as a mirror, and brushing her hair. "Are y'all ready?" The blonde questioned. The robot nodded, and Kanaya put the brush down, letting out a sigh. "Yes. Thank you, Dave," she nodded, following Dave out of the ship. HALBOT still let her lean against him, as she was still injured.

"Kanaya, where would they have put him?" Dave asked, glancing back at her. "He's probably slated for culling. They'll try and get rid of him as soon as possible," she started, "I know where. Let me lead, okay? Keep your guard up."

To be honest, he kind of wanted to save this guy because he liked him. Both as a friend, and because he was kind of cute, in a fucked up way. As cute as an angry gray alien mutant could be, which, surprisingly, was sort of...a lot.

It would never work. Besides, Karkat was an alien. Did aliens even know what homosexuality was? What if he was in love with some troll girl? Maybe not, considering the fact that he was a 'cancer' or whatever. Still, what if his weird alien concept of love was way different than human concepts? Dave figured Karkat would probably end up staying with them though, because he couldn't go back to Alternia again. Maybe something could work.

No. He was getting ahead of himself. Things probably wouldn't even work out, and Kanaya would probably take Karkat and leave, just like she'd done earlier. Then again, there was always a possibility that everything could go to absolute fucking shit. Also seemed likely.

Whatever. They had more important things to worry about. Like saving Karkat before the creepy spider girl killed him. That was pretty important, especially considering that the mutant-blooded troll made him feel a certain way that he hadn't felt in a long time. It was godawful and damn near moronic. They didn't even know each other. Dave only liked Karkat because he was cute, and his all-bark-no-bite personality was adorable.

The younger Strider was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize Kanaya talking to him. "and then, Karkat comes back with us. Okay? I'll show you how to get there," she told him. Shit. He probably missed her whole spiel. Oh well.

The blonde simply nodded in agreement, following behind Kanaya. He hoped that no one would say anything about his actions being 'heroic', as they weren't. That was not him. Heroes didn't exist. There were only leaders, brave people, and martyrs. He was not a hero. The very thought of being classified as one gave him a headache for reasons he'd rather not think about.

After a lot of seemingly pointless sneaking around, they arrived in an open place that looked sort of like a field, except a ton of trolls were crowded around something that Dave couldn't really see. He tried to look over the crowd, but a metric fuckton of horns obscured his field of view. "There he is," Kanaya pointed out. "Let's go. We aren't here to witness his execution," she said sternly.

They began to shoulder through the crowd, finally reaching the front. There he was. Karkat, suspended by his wrists, wearing only his weird black and red pants outfit thing. His wrists were locked in orange cuffs that were shaped like a sideways 69. He was very bloody, and he seemed really dazed. Vriska, as well as several highbloods stood around the outside of the crowd, probably to make sure no one acted up.

Vriska was facing Karkat, smirking at him. A cobalt-blooded archer held a bow and arrow, standing about 200 feet from the place where Karkat was.

The mutant-blood took a deep breath, opening his eyes. He looked at the crowd, and then began to speak. "Hey. Listen up, fuckers. I have something...important to say," he winced, laughing a bit. Kanaya knew we had to wait, or we wouldn't stand a chance. "I have a vision. A vision of a better world. A vision of an Alternia where a troll is not judged merely based on his blood caste. A true troll's worth should be determined by his personality; by his courage, his willingness to sacrifice himself for others, his ability to be strong in situations that are difficult."

He paused, taking a deep breath as he shifted uncomfortably, his wrists burning.

"We are all one kind. My brothers and sisters of low blood and short life; although we are weak, together, we are stronger than any adversary. Let us unite! Let us rise up against those who keep us enslaved by our own blood. Let their shackles no longer bind us. This is not about blood color or caste. All who threaten our inevitable justice are to blame, be him of low or high blood. All who try and keep us from succeeding are the enemy. This enemy is ruthless. On your feet, my brothers and sisters. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with.

We are the rebellion, my kindred. Where my great ancestor, The Signless Sufferer failed, we will succeed. No longer will we allow ourselves to be downtrodden; walked upon! We are our own! My brothers and sisters, now is our time. We are one people, a casteless family. We are blind to color of blood, bound only by allegiance. My just and noble friends, it is our rebellion now. And to you fuckers who think you can trample my flame, you're correct. However, there is one thing that you fuckbuckets can never kill. You cannot kill our idea. You cannot kill my idea, you worthless scum. You can kill my body, just like you did with my ancestor.

Our idea will prevail.

And it is so fucking beautiful. The future I see is so fucking beautiful."

By now, lots of the crowd was crying and cheering. The highbloods were looking confused, glancing around. "Nonsense!" Vriska shouted. "Bullshit! You'll never—" she was cut off by the crew of the Victoria, plus Kanaya, who cornered her. "Equius! Kill him!" She hissed, several highbloods coming to try and take out Dave, Kanaya, and HALBOT.

The blue-blooded troll nodded and fired a single arrow, apologizing for what he had done. He knew that Karkat was a good person. The rules of the hemospectrum must be abided by, however. "Karkat! No!" Kanaya shouted, teleporting to where the troll was, just in time to take the shot herself. The Jadeblood winced as the head of the arrow pierced her skin, but she remained on her feet, clutching her bloodied side where the arrow had struck her.

"Kanaya?"

Karkat's voice sounded weak. "I'm here. We're here to rescue you, Karkat."

Suddenly, overcoming the shock of seeing the actions of Kanaya, a majority of the lowbloods in the crowd rushed to attack the highbloods that were keeping them back, attacking them.

Dave forced himself through the mass of angry trolls, pushing his way towards Karkat and The Auxiliatrix.

"You're safe now," Dave told him, pulling Caledfwlch from his belt. He stood on his toes and slashed the chains that suspended the troll, burning his wrists. He just wished he could've done more.

Karkat fell, but Dave grabbed him, holding him close. "Stay safe," he told the troll, shoving Caledfwlch in his belt. He put The Wanderer down, turning to face the Jadeblood. HALBOT immediately came to try and tend to her wounds, but she kept smiling and brushing it off like it was nothing.

"Kanaya..." Karkat knelt down next to his lusus, putting his hand on her back. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he hugged her tight. "I'll be okay, Karkat. You'll be okay, I promise. Everything's gonna be okay," she reached up and gently stroked his face with her bloody hand. "I'm proud of you. Keep on following in The Signless' footsteps. I love you. Thank you so much for rescuing me. It means the world to me.

My son."

And those were the last words of a hero of Space, who's eyes became glassy little universes, flecked with sunlight and Jade tears that she was blind to.

Karkat looked grief-stricken, but he got up silently, following Dave and HALBOT through the cheering crowd of lowbloods. He waved weakly at them before going onto the ship. The door slammed closed and HALBOT took over piloting duties. The Wanderer could do nothing but stare blankly at the floor. "She's dead. She's dead, Dave," the troll glanced up at him. "She...she died for me. Kanaya was the only person who ever loved me for who I was, and now she's dead," he said weakly. Dave hugged Karkat, and to his suprise, the troll didn't try to push him away or anything.

"Not the only person. Did you see all those people out there cheering for you? They love you. Blood color and all," the blonde reassured. "I can't believe she's gone," the troll breathed, grasping onto the human's shirt.

Yeah. He knew how that felt.

"Hey, it's okay," Dave tried vainly to make Karkat feel better. "No it's not okay! She's dead, and she's never coming back. And she died because of me!" The troll sobbed, wiping his red tears. "I'm scared, Dave. I'm a coward. I'm nothing like my ancestor."

"That's not true, dude. You were awesome back there. I'm sure your ancestor would be proud. Kanaya was. Besides, it's not your fault that she died," Dave told him. "I...I'm sorry for insulting you earlier. Calling you names and that shit, you know. You're not actually as repulsive as I said you were," The Wanderer said. "Thanks. You're not awful either," Dave told him.

DOCUMENTATION LOG, DATE 20-6-2475:  
COPILOT DOCUMENTATION.

USERNAME: HAL9000  
PASSWORD: **************

COPILOT: HAL  
[.106.75.413: 299018]  
REGARDING: EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL STATES OF 'THE WANDERER' KARKAT AND DAVE STRIDER.

It's been a few weeks since we rescued Karkat. He's been grieving for a while, but I think he's finally starting to get over it, which is good. Dave still hasn't showed him the rooms, though. He keeps asking about them. I think both of their feelings of grief have allowed them to bond. They seem much closer and have been getting more familiar with each other over the course of the past few weeks. Relationship highly promising; despite his insults Karkat is nice. All bark and no bite.

-END LOG-  
ID: 4137790

USER LOGOFF Y_

\- [END OF DOCUMENT] -

Karkat entered Dave's quarters, without knocking, as usual. "Hey," the blonde glanced up at him. "You said you'd show me the rooms, fucknut. You promised," the troll squinted.

"Whoa, no way dude. I didn't promise, no offense. Look, to make up for the not promise, we can go have some drinks. How about it?" The blonde smiled slightly. "Ugh, fine. I can't believe I'm actually agreeing to consume your shitty human soporifics. They all probably taste like garbage," the troll scoffed. "Whatever you say," Dave laughed, getting up from his bed and going to the kitchen where Hal usually made food. "What do you want?" "Besides not being here, whatever's good I guess," The Wanderer shrugged.

Dave knew how to make drinks because Roxy taught him, and he used to DJ for clubs where he drank sometimes, so he picked up a thing or two from being in that environment.

It was nice, drinking and joking around, listening to some shitty pop song from the 2460's.

"Hey, Karkat, can I ask you something?" Dave glanced down at him, setting what was probably his third or fourth martini in a row now down. "Whatever, I guess. You're gonna tell me anyways, because you're retarded."

"Yeah. Anyways...do you want to dance with me?" The captain blushed lightly, laughing a bit nervously. "What? Are you—" Karkat stopped, his cheeks flushing candy red. "Is this a show of your feelings for me? Are they of the red persuasion by any chance?" He squinted. "Haha! That's a good one, dude! You're fucking funny," the albino snickered, knowing what Karkat meant.

"You know what, I'll dance with you, but not because I like you. Because I pity you so much."

The two were blushing, although probably for different reasons. Dave took Karkat's hand in his own, guiding the troll's smaller hand to his own side. Karkat looked at Dave, his yellow eyes nervous. The blonde gave him a gentle smile, putting his hand on Karkat's shoulder.

The two danced together for a while. They ended up very close, their faces only a few inches from the other's. The blonde blushed at the awkward situation, bursting into a fit of awkward laughter from all the alcohol in him. Karkat did the same, but as soon as Dave got himself together and stopped laughing, he pulled the troll close by his cape, their lips brushing together.

Dave went in for the kiss.

It was passionate and rough, and it tasted like sugar and shitty alcohol. Regardless, it was fucking fantastic. The blonde felt all his senses come to life as he kissed the other, pulling away hesitantly.

Karkat was speechless for a short while, simply staring at Dave for a while. "That...that was okay, I guess," he shrugged, knowing what the captain was going to ask. "Mhm, sure," Dave laughed, sliding his hand up the troll's back and into his fluffy, messy black hair. "Can...can we do it again? It...you...fuck it, whatever. Just kiss me again, you festering river of shit," the troll grumbled, his face bright red.

"Certainly," Dave laughed, kissing the troll again.

Dave never expected things to turn out this way, but he was sure glad that he chose to help Karkat on that day.

Yeah, things hurt, and the physical and mental scars from accident would always remain, but maybe things could get better.

Maybe he would finally be alright.


	9. Grub Rearing

"What?"

"You heard what she said! The fate of our people depends on this! Besides, it's just one fucking grub. How hard could it possibly be?" The shortest troll questioned, glancing up at Dave. "I...really don't know. Can I have some time to think about it?" The blonde asked nervously. "What is there to think about, Dave?" Karkat asked, squinting.

The Jade troll simply nodded, smiling calmly. "Of course. Parenting is a big responsibility. Take as much time as you need," she told him. "Cool. Thanks," Dave nodded.

Karkat followed after him, gently grabbing his arm. "What the hell was that for?" He asked. "I...just need some time to think about this decision, okay? I'm only sixteen, and—" the mutant troll cut him off. "Don't lie to me. I know why you're being so goddamn hesitant, Dave," he said. "Wh—I...okay, tell me then!" The blonde mumbled angrily. "It's because of Bro. You're scared that you'll be like him," the troll said softly, as if Dave would cry if he spoke of his brother too loudly.

The blonde's expression turned blank, and his face somehow got paler than it already was. Behind his tinted lenses, his red eyes watered a bit. Fuck. " 's not—!"

It was. He was mortified of ever being a parent due to the way that his brother had treated him growing up as a child. It made him sick to think that he might be like that. Even if he knew it was wrong, it was probably still engrained in his subconscious. Sort of a thing that wrote itself into his brain as an acceptable way to care for kids. Dave wasn't going to be sick in front of Karkat. Of course it wasn't right to randomly attack your kid, or use your refrigerator to store shitty swords instead of food, and it wasn't right to call the child mean things. It definitely wasn't fucking right to expose your child to creepy fucking puppet fetish porn when he was only eight years old.

"Dave. It's okay," Karkat told him. "Just—shut up! God! Shut up for once, please!" The blonde spat, turning around. The troll was silent, simply looking at his matesprit. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I'm just...god. I hate that asshole so much! He ruined my fucking life, and my PTSD ass won't fucking let it go. Now I can't even do something simple, like raising a child," the albino growled, clenching his fists at his side.

"Dave. Raising a kid isn't easy at all. And you're nothing like that son of a bitch. Trust me. You'd be a great father. You're funny, and nice, and—Bro taught you what not to do. You'll do anything to not do what he did. You'll be just fine. Besides, you have me. It's not like you have to raise the grub yourself. And it takes time to recover from abuse. You're doing just fine," the mutant comforted, putting his arms around his taller boyfriend's waist. It physically pained him to see Dave like this, and he could feel the human's slim frame shaking in his arms.

"Don't cry, Dave. It's okay. You're not bro. You'll never be him. He would want you to be sad and scared. Show that motherfucker that you're the strongest and most badass bitch to walk the face of the goddamn planet. Give ol' Bro a big 'fuck you.' How about it?" The smaller one laughed, trying to cheer his matesprit up. He could feel the blonde laugh a little, and a slight smile came onto his face. At least the soft color had returned to his cheeks, and he didn't look like he'd just seen a ghost. Tears still stained his cheeks, however.

Karkat stopped hugging Dave for a second, stepping in front of him and gently removing his shades. "Don't cry." The troll stood on his toes and wiped the blonde's tears with one hand, whilst cupping his cheek with the other. The albino simply nodded resolutely and reached for his shades, squinting in the light. Karkat gave them to him, letting Dave put them back on. "Thanks. I'm mostly just crying now because it was bright as fuck for like .2 seconds, and now my eyes are doing the shitty teary thing like a bunch of whiny bratty spoiled child eyes who didn't get an iphone for Christmas," the taller one laughed a bit. A slight smile crept onto Karkat's face at that silly metaphor. "Wah wah, I saw light for three seconds! God damn genetics," the albino muttered.

"Ha. You can say that again," Karkat rolled his eyes. "God damn genetics," Dave repeated quietly.

Sarcastic little shit.

In a way, he and Dave were both mutants. His mutation just gave him abnormally red blood that he had to hide all the time. Not really anymore, thankfully. Dave's made him always have to wear his shades due to his photosensitivity, and he could wear only his god tier outfit outside, since he was easily sunburned.

"I wanna sleep on it," the taller one said, taking Karkat's smaller hand in his own. "That's fine," the troll sighed, a soft blush dusting his cheeks. "That's not the only thing I'm gonna sleep on," Dave laughed, raising an eyebrow. Karkat's face got very red, and his yellow eyes widened. "DAVE!" He hissed. "That wasn't even good, you smug fucking asshole. God. I can't fucking believe this," Karkat said angrily to himself, obviously flustered over his matesprit's comment. "You're getting flustered about it, so obviously it wasn't that shitty," the blonde laughed, looking down at his partner who was muttering angrily under his breath. "How the hell did I fall in love with you?" Karkat joked. "I mean, we kind of had three years on the meteor together, and we were already friends," the blonde shrugged.

"No. It's because you're cute as fuck. I love you, you fucking nerd," the troll laughed, resting his head against Dave's arm. "I love you too, Karks."

Day faded into night, and the blonde reflected on his choice as he laid in bed that night, a thick, suffocating void of nihilism and self-doubt stirring his mind and making his body numb. Even having won the game and being happy with his partner, who was snoring softly beside him, his depression still hung around like a bad aftertaste. He didn't understand why it didn't work like it did in movies or books. He was happy, so now it should go away, right?

Wasn't that how it worked?

He glanced over at Karkat, who he knew was haunted by the same suffocating plague. He could tell. Dave's red eyes glanced up at the ceiling. What would've made him feel better ten years ago now made him feel sick. He was immortal. Even if the disease decayed his brain to the point where all he could do was hope to make it until sunrise, he would live.

Why was he even thinking about this? He was supposed to be thinking about raising a child! But how could he possibly take care of it? On days when he woke up after sleeping for eight hours, exhausted and fatigued from the coldness seeping into the cracks of his mind, he'd have to get up and care for the child. Even if he loved it, and he wanted it to be happy, his mind would refuse, and his body would blindly follow along as it was written to do.

Maybe some other day. Maybe when he woke up and saw the angled light filtering through the curtains and his heart and mind were calm and content, unaltered by the seemingly incurable sickness. Hopefully soon. Maybe when the scars on his stomach and thighs were gone, or when he'd all but forgotten what his Brother's face looked like.

Dave shifted a bit as Karkat wrapped his arms around him in his sleep, mumbling something he couldn't understand. His life was just fine, so why was he still like this? He wasn't one to get hung up on the past either, so he didn't understand why things were still this way.

It was best to just try and stop thinking about this. All thinking about it did was make it worse. What the hell happened to being cool? Certainly, cool guys didn't cry or consider suicide.

When morning came, Dave had slept some and found himself in a better state of mind. Karkat was still sleeping, and his face was buried in Dave's shirt. The blonde looked down at his matesprit. "Did you make up your mind?" the troll asked groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

The look on Karkat's face made him want to say yes. "Will it make you happy?" The albino questioned. The alien gave a slight nod, "Yeah. If you don't want to we don't have to, though. I just..." Karkat paused, "I want you to know you'll never be like that asshole."

"I know. I'm willing to do it," the blonde nodded, picking up his shades from the nightstand.

"You know what they say," a slight smile crept onto Dave's face. "Happy wife, happy life."

Karkat didn't protest; he merely rolled his eyes and tried to keep from smirking. "I'll tell Kanaya."


	10. Chapter 10

**January 18, 1962**

Karcsi,

I'm sorry.

I hope this letter gets to you soon, dude. I can see the fucking big ass wall from my window. I wish I could see you again, but I don't think that's gonna be happening any time soon.

I wish you would've moved in with me, but I respect the fact that you have to take care of your brother.

Besides, isn't your dumb ass family was making you stay with them anyways because the whole college thing?  
\- Dave

 **January 24, 1962**

Dave,

I'm fucking scared. Things are changing a lot.

What's the goddamn shitfuck-ass wall like on that side? I wanted to move in with my family mostly so I could care for Károly. And yeah, my shit-ass parents wanted me to stay with them before I started college. My dad got a job here after the goddamn war, so we all moved to this shitty hellhole as a result.

Hungary was way better. I want to fucking go home.  
-Karcsi

 **January 30, 1962**

Karcsi,

The wall is just right next to roads and such. There are no guards or anything. We can go up to it and touch that shit. The Allies are chill as fuck. Although I'm probably biased because I'm American.

I hope Károly feels better soon though, and I'm sorry you're homesick. I'm visiting Hungary in 2 days for winter break and I'll get you some souvenirs.

Anyways, when does school start for you?  
-Dave

 **February 7, 1962**

Dave,  
What the hell? Dude, fuck you. The shit they have set up over here is way worse. It's like a fucking prison. I'm gonna tell you about this bullshit. So when you look outside, there are these big ass fuckin' watch towers behind a fence. The guys in there have scary as fuck guns. I can see another fence behind that. Behind that fucking ass-fence are those big ass fucking things that they use to stop tanks. You know what I'm talking about?

Anyways, behind those is ANOTHER goddamn fence. As if they didn't already have enough fucking fences. Behind that is some big ass fucking barbed wire coil fuck things, as if anyone was gonna get past the six hundred goddamn fences and the guys with guns. Then there's some kind of bunker? I don't give a fuck about what it is. There's more fucking dudes with guns, and they have dogs.

Not cute dogs though. Scary as fuck dogs. Behind them is some kind of big-ass ditch. For some goddamn reason. I guess they assume we're all batshit crazy and would try and steal a fucking tank and plow through their 89 fences and barbed wire. Then they have some big ass lights that shine over this long as fuck stretch of sand that would show footprints of anyone trying to come over from your side. As if they'd fucking want to.

Thanks. He's not doing too well, and I'm scared as fuck. At least we have free healthcare I guess, but it's still shit. All the doctors are shit too, since we all get paid the same shitty wage. Nobody gives a fuck about doing their job anymore.

You're a fucking godsend, Dave. Thanks for all this shit. Really makes me feel at home again. The pictures you took were nice. It's a shame Budapest still looks like shit. I've only ever been there once, but it was beautiful as fuck when I was there. Fuck you for bombing my home country.

School has already started. It's fucking bullshit. Thanks for asking.  
-Karcsi

 **February 11, 1962**

Karcsi,

Holy shit. That sounds scary as fuck. Although the thing about the fences made me laugh. Why do they need so many? You'd assume that as soon as someone gets close to the wall, they'd get shot. What's the fucking point of having 3 million fences? Fucking Commies.

I hope things turn around with him. He was always a pretty cool dude, if not a little douchey and uptight. At least your brother actually likes you. Bro is a shitbag. Fuck bro. Maybe if we do have a war with Russia, the Army will draft his ass and I won't have to deal with him hitting me when I leave a plate in my room.

I told you Communism is shit. I warned you about the Communism, bro.

Thanks. Those pictures were pretty great. The view was nice from our hotel, and the food was good as fuck. Even if it was shitty Commie food.

Dude, you act like it was specifically me who flew the fighter planes to Hungary and bombed your fucking shit. You know I'm a conscientious objector. Regardless, I'm sorry that America (and probably also Britain and Russia, maybe France) totally fucked your shit up.

You're welcome. School here is pretty chill; even some kids of the American soldiers come to the school, so it's not like I'm the only American.  
-Dave

 **February 17, 1962**

Dave,

Yeah. My family used to be pretty firm Communists. I was, as were my parents and Károly. My opinions have definitely fucking changed, and so have Károly's. I think even my goddamn parents are starting to detest it, for fuck's sake.

Thanks. And yeah, your ugly worm of a brother was always a piece of shit. Maybe they'll send his sorry ass to that frozen fucking wasteland. I swear, that fuckbag needs to learn his goddamn place. I can't believe that dickhead gets away with abusing you. If I wasn't 5'2" and stuck on this side of the wall, I'd personally come over to your place and beat his ass.

And I get it, you hate Communism. Fucking McCarthyist assfuck.

The pictures were nice. And Hungarian cuisine is the best, so fuck you. At least we actually have an actual cuisine culture. All you guys have is your gross cheese burgers and fries, and your 'lasagnas.' What the fuck is a lasagna? Why is it spelled like that? Fuck America.

And shut up. I get it, you're soooo amazing and have a great sense of morality for not wanting to blow people up.

The school here is shit. Nobody speaks Hungarian. Everything's in German and Russian. Of course, just fucking neither of the languages I speak fluently. And some of these fuckers actually have the audacity to make fun of my accent.  
-Karcsi

 **February 25, 1962**

Don't let the Russians know that. Just pretend you're an adherent.

Yeah, I hope they draft him off somewhere far away where I don't have to see him again for a while. What a fucking bitch. His verbal abuse isn't even funny in an ironic way anymore. It's just shitty.

Thanks, dude. I know I can count on you. You're the best bro a guy could ask for.

I'm just giving you a hard time, man. Whatever floats your economic philosophy boat is fine with me so long as you're chill about it.

Well, fuck you too, because American food is fucking great. And lasagna isn't American. It's Italian. That's why it's spelled like that.

Dude, fuck those guys. Your accent is fucking awesome. They're just jealous pricks.  
-Dave

 **March 12, 1962**

Dave,

Sorry for not contacting you sooner. You're probably worried as fuck, like usual when I don't send you a letter for a while.

Károly is getting worse, and I haven't had any fucking time to sit down and write. He's sleeping now, so I finally have a little time to write this. I'm staying up to write this, just so you know. You'd better be grateful as fuck when you get this letter.

Thanks. Learning German has been fairly easy, but learning Russian has been a fucking chore. The alphabet is way different, and nothing like German or English. It's nowhere even fucking close to Hungarian either, so there's that.

I really miss you, Dave. Stay safe.  
-Karcsi

 **March 18, 1962**

Karcsi,

Dude, I was worried sick about you! Fuck you for not even calling me or anything. I'm sorry about your brother though. I wish I could help.

I miss you too, bro. Stay safe as well. I hope your shit gets un-fucked soon.  
-Dave

 **March 25, 1962**

Dave,

I know. I said I was fucking sorry, dude. What else do you want me to do? Climb over this shitty fucking wall and kiss your ass?

I hope it does too. I wanna get out of this shitty place.  
\- Karcsi

 **April 1, 1962**

Karcsi,

There's something I have to tell you. Promise me you won't tell. I can only hope those Communist pieces of shit over there don't read our mail.  
-Dave

 **April 6, 1962**

Dave,

What is it?

For fucking once, I have some goddamn good news.

We finally fucking applied for a temporary exit visa back to Hungary. They may or may not deny it. If we can get there, we can easily leave and get to the West side.

And then I can see you again.  
-Karcsi

 **April 13, 1962**

Karcsi,

I'm bisexual.

I love you. And not as a bro.

Sorry for not saying anything earlier.  
-Dave

 **April 18, 1962**

Dave,

Holy fucking shit. Dude, seriously?!

You could've told me earlier, seriously. God.

However, I have some more good news for you.

I love you too. I guess that makes us even now, or whatever the fuck.  
-Karcsi

 **April 23, 1962**

Karcsi,

I think Bro has been reading my shit. He's started calling me really homophobic stuff and trying to embarrass me. He even outed me to my fucking parents. Of course, they were furious, considering the fact that they're hardcore Conservatives.

They keep saying I'm "diseased" and that I should find help. I think they want to send me to a conversion center. What the hell do I fucking do? Bro's hurting me more.

I wish you were here with me.  
-Dave

 **April 29, 1962**

Dave,

Oh god, that's fucking horrible. Why is your family a bunch of scumbags?

Anyways, our visa got accepted after like, 6,000 fucktons of paperwork and a ton of other extremely unnecessary shit.

But I think you should tell them off. Tell them that you're just fine and you were born gay. Tell them that you aren't fucking "diseased." That's the bullshittiest bullshit I've ever fucking heard.

I swear to god, once we get there, I'm going to fucking kill your Bro. How dare he fucking hurt you?

I wish I were there with you too. It'll only be a little while longer, I promise.  
-Yours, Karcsi

 **May 4, 1962**

Karcsi,

They're sending me to get "treatment."

My parents are taking my letter writing privileges. They don't want me talking to you, which is a load of shit.

I'm scared.  
-Love, Dave

 **May 10, 1962**

Dave,

Oh god. I'm so fucking sorry. A few more days and we're out of here. For good.

Hang on for me, okay? I hope that whatever they do to you, that you stay safe.

I love you. I can't wait to come over there and kiss you on the mouth. Right in front of your parents.  
-Yours, Karcsi

 **October 27, 1962**

Dave,

How are you?

I'm so fucking sorry that we took so long. We're staying in an apartment a few blocks from yours. The government gave us money since we're considered 'refugees,' apparently.

My new address is on the back of this letter.

See you soon.  
-Love, Karcsi

 **November 10, 1962**

Karcsi,

Hey.

I'm writing this in secret. Nobody's home, so I can write this without getting punished. My dad tore the letter you sent in October up, but I retrieved it when he was gone.

I'm not the same person I was when we first met. I'm sorry.

Regardless, I still love you, dude.

The therapy isn't working. I'm still gay as fuck for you. Hurry up and come over so we can kiss, fucking faggot.  
-Love, Dave

 _ **Entry #678**_  
 _ **November 17, 1962**_

 _Karcsi came over today. With his parents, and Károly in toe, who looked better than he ever did._

 _They argued with my parents for a long time. I hid in my bedroom, because I knew if I was there, Bro would beat my ass._

 _I couldn't meet Karcsi, but I did get to see him, which was cool as fuck._

 _Bro beat the shit out of me. Now I'm gonna have to explain to Karcsi why I've got a black eye and a busted lip and why my arms are bruised. Fuck that dickhead; seriously. I can't believe I used to think he was cool._

 _ **Entry #682**_  
 _ **November 23, 1962**_

 _They've been shredding all the letters Karcsi sends to me, but now that he lives a short distance away, it doesn't bother me much. He usually sneaks out and throws paper airplanes up to my window._

 _I save them all._

 _ **Entry #698**_  
 _ **December 2, 1962**_

 _I've been sneaking out in the middle of the night to be with him._

 _I'm still mesmerized by the way he tasted. He held me for a long time and we watched a movie. He's acting nicer than usual._

 _They're still putting me through therapy. It's not working, obviously._

 _ **Entry #710**_  
 _ **December 13, 1962**_

 _The therapy is definitely not working. Karcsi and I had sex last night._

 _My parents said they're considering disowning me. I couldn't be happier._

 _ **Entry #723**_  
 _ **December 21, 1962**_

 _My parents kicked me out of the house. I don't have any of my stuff. Regardless, I'm so much happier. They said they were disowning me because I was gay._

 _Karcsi is letting me stay at his house. Károly is holding a job now, and Karcsi's parents are pretty supportive of our relationship. They invited me to live with them as long as I paid a small fee every month. I already have a job anyways, so that's not a problem._

Dave sat on the couch next to his boyfriend. His hands were still a bit shaky from the therapy that was now nothing but a distant, uncomfortable memory. Things were going much better than he'd planned, and he and Karcsi were going to the same school. He'd transferred ever since Bro had outed him.

The blonde lay with his arm draped over the Hungarian's chest, holding him close. They were watching some romcom film in Hungarian, and Karcsi was translating. He knew this film like the back of his hand, so he basically had the script memorized down-pat.

And when the kissing scene came on, the two of them kissed. There wasn't a much better way to be spending Christmas, in Dave's opinion.


End file.
